The Awakened
by BlueSilverPandas
Summary: Family is the tie that binds. The question is, how tightly? When Hiccup is left to care for his newly orphaned cousin, he has no misgivings. But with the arrival of a strange girl in Berk and war on the horizon, his life just got a lot more complicated. Can he keep the village together and also be there for the ones that need him most? Hiccstrid, currently being rewritten.
1. Prologue: Fire

Hello out there, fellow fan fiction readers! Welcome to my new How to Train Your Dragon story! I've actually had this idea implanted in my brain for a while now, but have only just got around to putting it down on paper and publishing it on this lovely site. More homework for this year and less sleep are the main reason for such. Sorry about that. x( But I'm back now, aren't I? And you're probably sick of hearing me rant and thinking I should get on with the story, right? Well then, I shall let you'll get on with the tail. HAHA! xD Get it? Tail? Because a tale is a story and dragon tails...? *crickets chirp* Yeah I'll get on with my story now. Hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: I, BlueSilverPandas, do not own the wonderfulness that is How to Train Your Dragon. That is the sole property of Cressida Cowell and Dreamworks, and the only thing I own of this story is the plot and the characters I made up. (If you have seen the film, then you will surely be able to tell which characters are canon and which are not.)

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Fire.

It is a symbol of what is beautiful, but also a symbol of death and destruction. As quickly as it can warm you up, it can also leave you in a cold sweat, panting and gasping for breath. It has many uses, a high level of practicality contained in one small element. It causes you to think and ponder, but at the same time empties your mind.

It can give life, but can also take it just as easily.

Laying upon the cold ground with the scent of ash filling her nose, Runa took a series of deep, shuddering breaths, struggling to hold on to what was rightfully hers. As she did so, she wondered how things could have possibly gone so wrong.

It had started out like any other raid on the island. The worthy Vikings had heeded the call, just like they always had. Runa had put on her armor, the way she always did before a battle. And finally, before she left, her young daughter had seen her off at the door.

"Be safe, Mama!" the girl had called, giving her mother a smile.

Runa had laughed, kissing her daughter chastely on the forehead. "Be good while I'm gone, you hear me?"

The child had nodded. "Always, Mama."

And with that, Runa had left to fight, expecting this to be just like any other raid that had occured before. Some dragons would show up, a few roofs would be damaged, the Vikings would do their duty, and she'd be back to tuck her girl in before midnight.

But as it turned out, this wasn't like any other raid. The dragons that had attacked this time were enormous, so much deadlier than the ones that had ever before them. Runa had fought her hardest and done her best, exactly as she had always done before.

But this time, not even her best was good enough.

And now, as the thirty-something-year-old woman lay there, her wounds becoming too great for her to handle, she heard a familiar cry and knew that someone else had to be thinking the same thing as her.

"But I've GOT to go fight!" the voice cried. "My Mama's in there!"

"You musn't!" yelled an older voice, this one masculine in nature. "It's too dangerous!"

"I want my Mama!" the little voice yelled. "I want to see my Mama!"

Tears flooded Runa's eyes and began to pour down her cheeks as she recognized the voice of her daughter, her beloved little girl, calling out to her. She opened her mouth to attempt an answer, but ended up in a coughing fit.

"Mama! Mama! I want Mama!"

"I'm sorry, love," said yet another, more gentler voice. "But it's already too late for her."

"NO!" shrieked the child as she turned to run to her mother. However, she was unable to due to the restraining hands held her back.

"Don't!" cried the male voice, but the little girl wasn't listening.

"MAMA! I WANT MAMA! I WANT MAMA!"

Runa desperately wished for the strength to call out to her girl, to get a chance to talk to her before... before... she couldn't force herself to think about it, it was just too painful to formulate.

"MAMA! MAMA! I WANT MAMA! I WANT MAMA! I WANT MAMA!"

Even through the flames, Runa could still hear her child calling to her, and could only imagine the tears flowing down her beautiful daughter's face. Weakly, she reached out and grabbed onto the sleeve of one of her comrades. Using the last of her strength, she pulled the person down so that she could see their face.

"Tell my daughter..." Runa rasped. "My little girl... tell her that Mama... Mama loves her...always..."

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And, with a final, shaking gasp, Runa's eyes rolled backwards into her head, and her hand slipped from it's grip, landing with a quiet thud on the ash-covered ground.

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Such a bright beginning, don't you think? ;) Well, in any case, you now have read the start of The Awakened. I hope you like it, and reviews are much appreciated.

Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving with lots of love,

~BlueSilverPandas


	2. Chapter One: Two Months Later

Well, here it is guys! The part where the story really and truly begins! I hope you all enjoy this new chapter, considering the slight difficulties I had with typing it up. Ah well, I suppose that it's 's way of punishing me for being gone so long teehee x) Now, on with the chapter, eh?

Disclaimer: I, BlueSilverPandas, do not own the wonderfulness that is How to Train Your Dragon. That is the sole property of Cressida Cowell and Dreamworks, and the only thing I own of this story is the plot and the characters I made up. (If you have seen the film, then you will surely be able to tell which characters are canon and which are not.)

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It was a surprisingly nice day over on the island of Berk. Surprisingly meaning that for once, it wasn't snowing, hailing, or covered in a thick fog like it usually was. On a day like today, the people didn't have to worry so much about miscellaneous objects dropping out of the sky or causing them any sort of discomfort.

Well, everyone but Hiccup, that is.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" came the yell of the young Viking as his Night Fury suddenly dove under the water and came back up again. Coughing, Hiccup wiped at his face and eyes with his sleeve before proceeding to glare at the dragon.

"What did you do that for?" he asked the beast which he called Toothless. In response, the boy recieved a slap on the side of his head from one of the Night Fury's head fins, as if to say, _YOU'RE the one driving, Hiccup, not me! Focus, would you?_

He was right, of course. For the entire morning, Hiccup has been utterly distracted by Odin-knows-what, and his flying of Toothless had been a bit off as a result.

The problem? Hiccup was in love.

It wasn't a problem for Hiccup of course, not in the least! He adored thinking about the girl he knew as Astrid whenever he possibly could, and was quite certain that she was thinking about him too. It was incredible, really. Whenever Hiccup had been thinking about her for all those months before, it had turned out that she had been doing the same thing, watching and waiting for him to say something. Alas, if only she had spoken up before he had discovered Toothless! What a beautiful notion that would have been!

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Beautiful, just like her...

As Hiccup became lost in yet another sweet reverie involving his beloved, his dragon, meanwhile, had the final straw. Traveling just a bit closer to the ground and towards the place where Hiccup had discovered him, Toothless swooped down and landed headfirst into the chilly water.

Sputtering up for air, Hiccup turned to stare at Toothless, whom he could have sworn was wearing a smirk the size of the entire island.

"Honestly, bud?" the Viking sighed.

Toothless gave him a dragon smile in reply, his adorable grin without teeth, filled with about as much love and playfulness as the Night Fury could muster.

Hiccup chuckled and wrapped his arms around his friend's scaly neck. "I just can't stay angry at you, now can I?" he mused aloud, then turned to Toothless. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry buddy. In case you haven't noticed, I've got a lot on my mind today."

Toothless made a motion as if he were rolling his eyes, but nonetheless allowed his master to climb upon his back once more.

"Why don't we head on over to the forge?" asked Hiccup. "I've got some nice fish waiting for you there. Would you like that?"

Toothless, excited by the prospect of lunch, permitted Hiccup to start the journey home. The fact that it was nearly noon and that he was starving must have helped some, for Toothless was pretty stubborn when he wanted to be. That's how him and Hiccup were alike, amongst other things.

Once they got back to the village, Hiccup led his dragon towards the forge and got him some lunch while he went off to repair one of his father's axes. He had been working rather studiously for about fifteen minutes, when he suddenly heard a knock at the door.

Hiccup sighed. _Another _customer? _Today? _The forge was busy enough as it was, what with winter fast approaching and everyone suddenly wanting their weapons touched up in preparation. And since Hiccup actually had a social life now involving Toothless and the other Viking teens, well, he simply didn't have time for much else.

Just as Hiccup opened the door to tell the person that sorry, the forge was closed for now, his jaw dropped and he lost all ability to speak, as he usually did when his girlfriend came around.

"Oh, um, h-hi Astrid." stuttered the young Viking.

Astrid chuckled. "Hello Hiccup," she said. "Can I come in?"

"Sure, sure!" Hiccup replied, scrambling to let her in and make himself look a bit more presentable. As he did so, Astrid took a quick look around his workshop.

"Wow," she commented, surveying the variety of weapons that were scattered about, each at a different stage of repair or completion. "It looks like you've been pretty busy here."

"Yep." replied Hiccup, absentmindedly running a hand through his reddish-brown hair. "People have been asking me to tune up all of their weapons to prepare for winter and make stuff for their dragons, but they forget that I'm only one person." He gave a sigh. "I just can't be everywhere at once."

"You don't have to be," Coming up from behind him, Astrid wrapped her arms around Hiccup's waist and leaned her head on his shoulder, just the way she had during their first flight together on Toothless. "Just be _you_. That's what helped you take down the Green Death, isn't it? That should be good enough for anyone."

Hiccup grimaced slightly in thought. "You think?" he asked.

"It's good enough for _me_." replied Astrid with a grin as she turned her boyfriend around to face her.

Hiccup couldn't help but smile back at his girlfriend. "I must admit, that makes me happy to hear." he said. Leaning forward slightly, he planted a gentle kiss upon Astrid's lips, of which she was more than happy to reply to. A little whine coming from outside immediately caused the pair to break apart.

"Toothless!" cried Astrid, seeing the dragon's big, soft eyes gazing in at them through the window.

Hiccup laughed and went over to gently pet the not-so-fierce beast. "We didn't forget you." he assured Toothless.

The dragon flashed his version of a smile, signifying that all was forgiven.

Astrid then turned towards Hiccup. "You should get home." she said. "Gobber told me to tell you that your father is looking for you."

"Really?" the Viking teenager raised an eyebrow. "I wonder why."

"I don't know," replied Astrid. "It wasn't my buisness to ask."

"Alright," Hiccup said. "I-I suppose I ought to go and do that then. Umm, hey Astrid, do you, uh..." he gulped really hard all of a sudden. "D-Do you want to meet me later? I-In the cove?"

Astrid blinked for a moment to be sure that she had heard him right. Then, she smiled at him. "Sure." she said. "I would love to."

"O-Okay then," Hiccup blushed. "I-I will see you later then, Astrid."

"Bye, Hiccup." Astrid kissed him lightly on the cheek, before turning around and exiting the forge. After she had gone, Hiccup went about packing his supplies and closing the forge, all while wearing a goofy, euphoric smile upon his face at the prospect of where he would be later in the day.

Once he was done, Hiccup went outside with Toothless and began the long walk back to his home, high upon the hill. He was careful not to place too much weight upon his stump, for although it had been two months since he had battled the Green Death, Hiccup's leg still became sore from time to time.

_I wonder what my dad wants? _thought the boy. Despite the fact that his father seemed to understand and listen to his son a bit more than he had before, Hiccup was still a bit dubious whenever Stoick requested his attention. He hoped it wasn't going to take too long, on the grounds that he didn't want to be late for his date with Astrid.

When Hiccup finally arrived home, he left Toothless outside to play by himself. Going inside, he found Stoick slumped in his favorite chair by the fireplace, his head cradled in his hands. On the little table next to him there lay a slip of paper, obviously forgotten.

Hiccup's eyes widened. It wasn't like his dad to be in such a forlorn state. Stoick rarely ever let things get to him in such a manner, even when times were dire. Something had to really be wrong if he was this close to a breakdown.

"Dad?" Hiccup hesitantly went over towards his father. "Is everything alright?"

Stoick sighed and lifted his head, allowing Hiccup to see the immense pain swimming in behind his seafoam-colored eyes. "Sit down, my son." he said at last. "I'm afraid I've just recieved some very bad news..."

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AND THAT'S THE END! Well, I hope you all enjoyed the story! Take care now!

JUST KIDDING! XD Fooled ya, didn't I? ;) There's no way I could possibly end the story NOW, there's too much that I'm dying to write! Instead, I will leave you all with another cliffhanger as I diabolicaly type up my next chapter. ^-^ As per usual, reviews are much appreciated and I shall see you all in Chapter 2.

Peace!

~Pandas


	3. Chapter Two: Too Many Changes

Heeeeeey everyone! I'm baaaaack! Did you miss me? *is really hoping that the answer is yes* ;D Long absence, I know, and I'm really sorry. I wish I could be one of those wonderful writers who updates their stories consecutively, but unfortunately, I can't do that. Schoolwork is piling up too much, and with midterm exams next week (which I should really be studying for right now) the next chapter is a bit slow in coming. Dx Not to mention is acting weird when it comes to editing the chapters. I'm going to try and see if I can put up new chapters in week to two week intervals. Bear with me. :P

But anyhoo, I hope you all had wonderful and happy holiday seasons with your families and friends, and please enjoy this next chapter!

By the way, I'd like to say a thank you to Alice W. Rabbit for confirming the family connection between Snotlout and Hiccup. (Apparently in the books they're cousins) Thank you very much! :D On with the story!

Disclaimer: Do I really have to type it out again? We all know I don't own HTTYD, don't we?

IMPORTANT EDIT: So I just figured out last night that Spitelout and Stoick can't be brothers because they have different last names... whoops xP I guess Spitelout can be on the side of Hiccup's mother then. That's alright though, it makes for a more interesting tale. Sorry about the mixup guys!

ANOTHER IMPORTANT EDIT: I need to make up my mind about these things in advance… I'm leaving things as they are, but Olivia's name is now Olyvia to make her sound more like a Viking. And maybe I'll just make Spitelout and Stoick brothers after all. I'm so sorry about this guys :(

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_Previously in chapter one..._

_"Dad?" Hiccup hesitantly went over towards his father. "Is everything alright?"_

_Stoick sighed and lifted his head, allowing Hiccup to see the immense pain swimming in behind his seafoam-colored eyes. "Sit down, my son." he said at last. "I'm afraid I've just received some very bad news..."_

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"Dad?" Hiccup hesitantly went over towards his father. "Is everything alright?"

Stoick sighed and lifted his head, allowing Hiccup to see the immense pain swimming in behind his seafoam-colored eyes. "Sit down, my son." he said at last. "I'm afraid I've just recieved some very bad news..."

"What's wrong, Dad?" questioned Hiccup, becoming increasingly worried. "What happened?"

Stoick merely shook his head, picked up the paper from beside him, and handed it to his son.

"It's your aunt," he said softly. "My younger sister..."

"Aunt Runa?" asked Hiccup.

The mighty chief nodded. "Read the letter." he said to Hiccup.

Bringing the slip of paper closer towards his face, Hiccup took a quick look over the content and a lump formed in his throat. Then, in a shaking voice, he began to read aloud.

"Noble Chief Stoick,

"It is the deepest regret of both myself and of my people to inform you and your family that your sister, Runa Haddock, has perished in a dragon attack that occured in our village a few days ago. The entire village joins you in your sorrow, for Runa was a noble fighter, wonderful mother, and fierce friend. We express our sincerest sympathy towards you.

"I am well aware that you are a busy man, Chief Stoick, but nonetheless I must implore you to journey to Caldbergh and settle all of your sister's remaining affairs, including that of the custody of her young daughter, Olyvia. For the time being, we have placed her in the care of our village healer. However, this is only a temporary arrangement, as our healer is very old and cannot bear the responsibility that comes with raising a child such as Olyvia. It is my personal opinion that as you, as her uncle, take her into your home instead. I cannot order you on how to act, but as her closest relation, I strongly suggest that you do so.

"Once again, I and the village are all immensely sorry for the loss of your beloved younger sister, and we send our thoughts to you and your family. We thank you for your time, and please carefully consider what I have told you.

"Signed,

"Chief Gunnar the Fighter"

Hiccup sucked his breath in sharply after he had finished and looked towards his father. "Aunt Runa... is dead?" he whispered.

Stoick nodded sullenly. "I'm afraid so." For a moment, Hiccup could have sworn he saw a tear glistening in his father's eye, but that had to be impossible. Stoick the Vast never cried... right?

For a long time, neither Hiccup nor his father said a word. The devastated silence between them passed for nearly ten minutes, with each one trying to suppress a few sobs that if released, would have deemed them less than Viking-like. Finally, Hiccup spoke.

"Well," he said at last. "Are you going to go to Caldbergh like the letter says?"

"Yes," Stoick answered. "I must. Chief Gunnar is right, I am a very busy man, but... this is my _sister_, Hiccup." He yanked up another chair for his son to sit in, which Hiccup very hesitantly accepted. Once he was seated, Stoick looked him in the eye.

"I grew up with her," he began. "Right in this very house. Or at least, the land this house now stands on." He smiled sadly. "We all used to have such great fun together. Whenever my father would take me and Spitelout hunting, Runa would always beg to come along. Oh, the fits she would have if we tried to leave her behind! My father had always said that hunting was no place for a little girl like her." He glanced at Hiccup. "Your father was every bit as bullheaded and stubborn as I was, and as you are today."

Hiccup merely nodded. He knew all about his grandparents, but his father had never spoken much about his childhood at all, up until this day. The death of his sister must have really had an impact on him if he was acting like this. Then again, Hiccup _was _kind of curious as to what his dad had been like as a boy...

"I was just outside the room when my mother, your grandmother, gave birth to Runa." Stoick continued. "I was there when she took her first steps, and I heard her first words. Although we didn't get along perfectly all the time, I protected and cared for her the way a brother does." he gave a sigh that had been building up throughout the entire conversation. "But this time, I just couldn't do that."

"It isn't your fault, though." said Hiccup, awkwardly placing a hand on his dad's shoulder. "I mean, you didn't know something like this was going to happen to her, right?"

Stoick didn't answer his son's question, but merely stood up and stroked his beard, deep in thought. "I will leave for Caldbergh tomorrow morning," he said. "And then I must travel to another village a few miles north of there. Their chief has become gravely upset with all the dragon attacks taking place, and rumor has it that he believes it is deliberate on our part because of our knowledge on how to train dragons. I'm going there with a few of the men to try and peacefully negotiate with him."

_A war on Berk?_ thought Hiccup in a panic_. We can't possibly afford a war right now! Winter is almost here and there are too many people that need feeding!_

Stoick saw the fear on his son's face and patted his shoulder. "Don't let it worry you too much, Hiccup." he assured. "The chief wouldn't in his right mind dare to fight us. Berk has a lot more power than his village does. Now," Stoick clasped his hands together. "While I am gone, Hiccup, I have decided that since you will someday be the chief of Berk, it would be best for you to look after things in my absence."

Hiccup's eyes widened. "What?" he cried. Him? Chief? _Now?_ He wasn't chief material! Not at all! Although he was, by birth, supposed to be next in line for the position, Hiccup had always assumed that someone stronger than him would step up instead. Like Snotlout, for instance.

However, it soon became clear that such a notion was not the case.

"B-b-but Dad!" stuttered the young Viking. "I-I don't know _anything _about being ch-chief!"

"Yes you do." replied his father. "You have been watching me do it ever since you were a boy. And whatever you don't know, you can easily figure out merely by using the common sense you have so much of." Stoick turned to his son.

"Look, Hiccup," he said. "You and I both know I'm not going to be around forever. I don't know what's going to happen to me or when it's going to happen, but I can't take any chances. I'll have Gobber stay behind just in case you need some assistance, but you should be fine all on your own." Stoick looked down at Hiccup. "I trust you will do what is right."

Keeping his lips clamped tightly together, Hiccup nodded quietly, his shock beginning to get the better of him. "I'll try..." he whispered hoarsely.

"Good." Stoick said. "See that you do." And with that, he promptly turned his back on Hiccup and disappeared upstairs, leaving his son to ponder his words.

And so the end of chapter two! Thanks to all for reading! :D As usual, reviews are both encouraged and appreciated :)

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Happy 2011!

With Love,

~Pandas

EDIT: I am leaving this chapter and author's notes as is, so if it's a little confusing then sorry.


	4. Chapter Three: Love's Sweet Haven

Hello out there, my fellow fans! I told myself that I wouldn't update until I got more reviews, but... I just couldn't resist! I love writing this story! And besides, I _did _promise to aim for more regular updates, did I not? So that's why I've written both this chaper _and _the next chapter already. Just as a warning to you guys, this is gonna be a _long _story. And it's just getting started! ;D

But seriously, regarding reviews, I'd love to hear some more feedback from you guys :) I already love the reviews that I've gotten thus far, and I would like to say a big thank you to the readers who posted them. And another big thank you to anyone who has placed either me or this story (or both!) on their alert system. You guys rock! :D

Onwards now! I hope you're all ready for some major fluffiness because this chapter is gonna be full of it! Oh, and if they seem a bit short to you I don't mean to make them like that. It looks _much _different when it's all put together, trust me. xD

Disclaimer: I, BlueSilverPandas (aka Liz), am not nearly awesome enough to own the epicness that is How to Train Your Dragon. Just so you know.

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Later in the day, Hiccup took Toothless and journeyed towards the cove to meet Astrid and her dragon, a Nadder named Ember. When he arrived, he saw his girlfriend sitting on a rock, stroking Ember's head lovingly. Looking up momentarily, Astrid smiled at Hiccup. He merely gave her a weak grin in return, still sick to his stomach from what Stoick had told him.

Seeing Hiccup's worry, Astrid stood up and went over to him while Toothless went to go and play with Ember. "What's wrong?" she asked him.

"My aunt died," Hiccup answered with a frown. "And now my dad has to go and settle her remaining affairs over in Caldbergh. While he's gone he wants _me _to be chief in his place."

"I see." Astrid nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry about your aunt, Hiccup." she said sincerely, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Thanks," he said, taking hold of her hand in his own. "I'm sad that she's gone, but I'm also worried about being chief."

"But you're Stoick's son," said Astrid, raising an eyebrow. "You didn't think you'd have to eventually take over?"

"Not really." Hiccup shook his head. "It wasn't something I thought a whole lot about, but I had always assumed that when the time came, well, someone else would be picked instead of me. I don't know if you ever noticed, but up until recently, I wasn't the most popular guy around here." He bit his lower lip and refused to look at Astrid, for fear that his expression would give away all the pain that Hiccup had locked away in his heart throughout the years.

Placing a hand on his chin, Astrid gently turned him to look at her. In his emerald green eyes, she saw every tear that had never been shed, the wounds that had never healed, and her own heart ached in part because she had never done anything to stop it. She rested her forehead against Hiccup's, trying to comfort him and erase all the damage that had ever been done.

Hiccup sighed softly and wrapped his arms around Astrid's waist, pulling her close, and momentarily forgetting any sort of past rejection that he'd ever experienced. Just as he was getting ready to lean in and kiss her, he was cut off by a certain agitated Night Fury who was craving some attention from his master.

"Aw Toothless..." Hiccup rolled his eyes and petted his best friend in his favorite spot on the neck. "You always pick the best times to intervene, don't you buddy?"

Toothless gave a dragon chortle and started to nuzzle his owner affectionately. Hiccup had learned that when that happened, it often meant that Toothless wanted to go for a ride.

"Oh, all right." Hiccup said, going over towards his dragon. "I suppose we can go out for a bit, if Astrid and Ember don't mind."

"Not at all." grinned Astrid. "I'm sure Ember would adore it, considering the fact that I haven't had the time to take her out all day."

"Okay then," Hiccup replied as he mounted his dragon. "Let's go!"

After Astrid had saddled and mounted her Deadly Nadder, the two teens took off with their gentle giants into the evening sky. The first place that Toothless led them to was the place where Hiccup and Astrid had flown together for the first time. It looked even more magical as the sun was just beginning to set over the clear, thrashing waters of the ocean, bathing the entire island of Berk in a warm orange glow. For Astrid, it was a most pleasant change from the normally harsh, cloudy, and icy climate of home. Judging by the expression on Hiccup's face, Astrid could tell that her boyfriend was thinking exactly the same thing.

Toothless, enjoying the rush of the wind and the excitement of flying with his favorite person in the entire world, executed a series of stunningly perfect barrel rolls just slightly above the waves.

Hiccup emitted a short cry of surprise, but nonetheless chuckled to see the Night Fury in such a state of gentle, playful innocence. Soon enough, Ember also caught a whiff of Toothless's excitement and began to play along with her dragon friend.

All too soon, night fell upon the group and pinpricked the sky with an array of twinkling stars. Astrid and Hiccup decided to land with their dragons upon the nearest beach that they could find in order to further enjoy the simple yet majestic beauty of the night.

The Viking teens sat down together upon the sand as they allowed Ember and Toothless to take a quick nap. As they did so, a gentle breeze blew through, involuntarily causing Astrid to shiver and scoot closer to Hiccup. Although his face was illuminated by the glow of the moon, thankfully, it hid the dark shade of red that it had turned. Even so, he placed his arm around his girlfriend as they continued to enjoy each other's company. After a few moments of silence that had been filled with gazing at the array of beauty that lay before them, Astrid turned towards Hiccup.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

Hiccup nodded yes, but then quickly shook his head no. "I'm worried." he said. "What if I can't handle being the chief? What if I make a mistake? A _big _mistake? Someone could die because of me..."

"Gobber will be there to help, won't he?" said Astrid.

"Well, yes but-"

"Then you should be fine." she answered. "After all, it's only your first time in a position like this. Calm down."

"Alright..." Hiccup was hesitant to believe her.

"Don't forget," Astrid moved and placed her arms around his neck. "Even though it doesn't seem like it sometimes, your dad loves you. And... I love you."

Hiccup's heart skipped several beats. Astrid loved him? Astrid _loved _him? Oh great Odin... he knew she had liked him a lot because she had kissed him, but... she loved him! His heart beating like Thor's hammer, Hiccup formulated his true feelings for the blonde Viking girl.

"I love you too, Astrid." he managed to say with an elated smile.

No more than two seconds after the words had left his lips did Astrid lean forward to claim them with her own. Out of all the kisses that the pair of loves had ever shared, none had ever been as sweet, beautiful, and tender as this one now was. In it's own way, it sealed a promise between the two of them, giving their hearts to each other in full and complete trust.

Carefully, Hiccup slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her body closer towards his, their hearts beating in a joyful, rapid unison. She gently stroked his hair as his hands positioned themselves in a spot upon her back, a move that Astrid seemed to take very kindly to.

They went on like that together for several more heavenly moments, before they were finally forced to break themselves apart. Hiccup smiled tenderly down at Astrid and brushed a strand of hair away from her face, before the couple settled back against the shoreline, nestled once more in each other's arms.

As Hiccup gazed at the beautiful girl that now lay in his embrace, he realized that perhaps yes, he _could _be the chief of Berk. He may perhaps even do well at it. After all, knowing that he had someone so wonderful loving him made the prospect of the job a lot more easier.

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Enjoying the romance? I hope so, because I really enjoyed writing it ;) Feedback is always welcome, but keep in mind that flames not be tolerated unless they come from Toothless.

Until next time,

~BlueSilverPandas


	5. Chapter Four: Day Number One

Welcome to Chapter Four of The Awakened! Are you guys ready to read about Hiccup's first day as the chief of Berk? What will happen? Read ahead to find out!

Disclaimer: I don't own any portion of How to Train Your Dragon. Not even Toothless ; _; *sniffsniff*

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It was only two days later that chief Stoick the Vast had to leave for Caldbergh to settle Runa's affairs. As promised, he left Hiccup in charge with Gobber at his side, but not before announcing his son's new position in front of the _entire village._ Even though it was a mandatory action on Stoick's part, that didn't mean Hiccup wasn't feeling the pressure even more than before. It was as if everyone were watching him at every moment, taunting him and waiting for him to make a mistake...

After his speech, Stoick left for the island with a fleet of ships, his loyal brother Spitelout and several other important figures at his side. Although the others would continue the long journey onwards to the peace negotiations, Stoick and Spitelout were taking a separate boat to Caldbergh. After they had gone, Hiccup was to assume his first official responsibility as chief by assisting the other Viking teens with training their dragons, something Gobber had suggested because the boy knew so much about the beasts.

A few hours after sunrise, Hiccup stood with Gobber in the former battle arena with the other teenagers and the dragons they had tamed. All was not going well thus far. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were fighting over some ridiculous unrelated topic, with their two-headed Hideous Zippleback attempting to split them up. Fishlegs was trying to begin an intellectual conversation with Snotlout, while Snotlout in turn was trying, in vain, to flirt with Astrid. It was all Hiccup could do to keep himself from throwing himself in front of his girlfriend, right then and there.

_But that wouldn't be very chiefly, now would it? _He thought to himself. No, he had to remain calm and rational, just as he always had been. Besides, Snotlout had a few good points too, didn't he? Although arrogant and boastful, he was an exceptional warrior. And since Astrid wasn't even giving Snotlout the time of day, Hiccup figured that worrying was useless and only wasted valuable time.

Despite delay, with his good hand, Gobber let out a high pitched whistle that made everyone jump, dragons and humans alike.

"Alright," said the older Viking. "Now that I've got your attention, let's begin, shall we?" He turned towards Hiccup. "Hiccup is the one who knows all about this sort of stuff, so he's the one you're going to be listening to and learning from today. I suggest that you do so, if you wish to be able to control those beasts of yours. Hiccup?"

"Oh um, yeah." Hiccup twiddled his thumbs nervously, trying to "Now first off, we're going to start by getting our dragons ready for flight. You should all have in your possession a proper saddle befitting both you _and_ your dragon. I know you all do, because I helped make them, so that should already be on your dragon's back. I'll now come around to make sure you've positioned it properly."

He then went around and examined every saddle to make sure that it wasn't too tight or too loose on the dragons, and also comfortable for the riders as well. Astrid and Ember were okay, but Fishlegs was having some difficulties. His dragon, Viribus, kept working his way out of the saddle, even after being fitted properly for it. After Hiccup had fixed that, he went over to the twins. Their saddle was too tight and as a result, Thunder and Lightning were nearly choking.

At least they had made an effort, though. Snotlout hadn't done a thing! All Hiccup's cousin had done was merely tossed his saddle onto the back of his Monstrous Nightmare, called Inferno, and as a result it kept falling off whenever the dragon so much as took one step.

"It takes less than two minutes to adjust it properly," Hiccup ran an exasperated hand through his already tousled hair as he began to fix the various straps and buckles onto the dragon. "What was stopping you, Snotlout?"

"I didn't see the point." shrugged Snotlout. "I walk everywhere."

"You can't walk over an ocean." Hiccup pointed out. "And besides, this is a _dragon_ training class not a _walking_ training class."

"Maybe I'd rather swim." came Snotlout's reply, sprinkled with an unhealthy attitude.

"You _can't_." Hiccup asserted, getting more and more frustrated and angry at Snotlout's indifference by the minute.

"He's right." Fishlegs pointed out. "The approximate temperature in the bodies of water that surround Berk is too cold for a normal Viking to withstand for more than three hours. And the distance-"

"I don't _care_ about the freakin' distance or the cold!" roared Snotlout, cutting him off. "I'm a _Viking_! I can handle _anything_ because I am the bravest and the strongest of them all! I don't need to rely on some stupid contraption to do my work for me, unlike _SOME_ people!" he glared at Hiccup, implying his cousin's former uselessness in society.

"For your information," Hiccup seethed, clenching his teeth. "My _stupid contraptions_ are the reason you can survive the way you do! And I will have you know-!"

"_ENOUGH!_" shouted Gobber at last. "From the _both_ of you! Snotlout, if you're going to be a wise ass for the remainder of the class, then you can go home. Hiccup, we all appreciate the work you've done for us, so there's no need to get upset. I expect more from you two. All things considered, let's put this little scuffle behind us and get on with the lesson, eh?"

"Fine." spat Snotlout angrily, stomping over to stand next to Inferno, forcing a sigh to emit from Hiccup.

The lesson went on for the next hour and a half without a hitch, despite the dirty looks that Snotlout kept shooting at Hiccup whenever he got the chance. Finally, class ended and the teens took their dragons and emptied the arena. As everyone was walking out, Snotlout turned to Astrid.

"Why don't you come on over later?" he asked with his conceited smile. "You know, so you can hang out with a _real_ Viking."

"No, thank you." Astrid narrowed her eyes at Snotlout. "I've already made plans with the most real Viking there is." She turned and aimed her smile towards Hiccup, who awkwardly smiled back. After all, it was a bit hard for one to be happy when one was positively seething inside.

"Whatever." Snotlout rolled his eyes and, taking hold of Inferno, made his way back towards his home.

After the other teenagers had left with their dragons, Gobber pulled Hiccup aside for a moment.

"Don't you pay no mind to Snotlout," he advised the frazzled Viking. "The boy's just got a lot on his plate right now and he's trying to handle it the way he thinks a man would handle it. It's nothing to worry about."

Hiccup bowed his head slightly and said nothing. He knew Snotlout's father had accompanied Stoick to the peace meeting as his right hand man, and with him gone, Snotlout had become the man of the house. This meant that he would have to care and provide for his mother and sister, just the way his father normally did. It was a lot of pressure to place on a seventeen-year-old boy, a pressure Hiccup had become all too familiar with lately.

"He's never talked about his family much," Hiccup admitted to Gobber at last. "But then again, Snotlout and I don't really talk. I mean, sometimes he tells me to tell my dad stuff that Spitelout has told him, but that's pretty much it. Well, besides him making rude and uneccessary comments, that is."

"Don't worry too much about the lot of them, Hiccup." Gobber responded. "So long as he's got his mum and little Tilly by his side, everything will turn out just fine. The only reason he says things like that are because he's trying to be a man about this whole thing, and that's probably how he thinks a man would handle it."

"Alright." Hiccup raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yep." Gobber yawned and stretched out his arms above him. "Well," he said. "I'm gonna be heading to the forge now. A couple of Vikings came by earlier with swords and axes that need touching up, so I should probably get to that. See you later, Hiccup."

"Bye, Gobber." came Hiccup's response as he started to gather up his things, all the while thinking about Snotlout's situation at home. Hiccup understood the pressure his cousin was under at the moment, but that was no excuse for the way he had acted towards him during class. It was completely disrespectful, and Hiccup could almost guarantee that Gobber would be having a talk with his mother about it tonight. He'd always acted like a total showoff, trying to be all manly and stuff, but could it be something a bit deeper than that? Was Snotlout really trying to be a man, or was he simply... _jealous_ of Hiccup?

_Nah._ Hiccup shook his head fiercely. _It couldn't be. Snotlout doesn't get jealous of __**anybody**__..._

Right?

Heaving a sigh, Hiccup pushed the thoughts out of his mind for now and, gathering his remaining materials, exited the arena. He decided that after he dropped off his supplies back at home, he would go and find Toothless. That lazy little bum had refused to get up early to attend class today, and Hiccup was hoping to get an hour or two's worth of flying in before going back to the forge for the evening.

The weight of his prosthetic leg began to rub uncomfortably against the remaining part of his leg, and Hiccup cringed. He still wasn't fully used to the fact that his left foot was permanently gone, nor would he ever be, most likely. To keep the stump from blistering and splintering against the wood that supported it, Hiccup kept bandages wrapped securely around the bottom of it. He decided that he was going to change them the second he got back to his house.

Just as Hiccup was passing by the blacksmith's forge, he saw Gobber rushing up to him, an expression of pure surprise on his face.

"Hiccup!" he cried, shaking the boy's arm. "Where are you headed to, boy?"

"Uh, home of course." Hiccup made a confused face at his mentor. "Why? What's the matter?"

"Some ships have just docked down at the harbor," said Gobber, taking ahold of Hiccup's arm and dragging him in the direction that the boats were. "And your aunt's daughter is on board one of them!"

Another cliffhanger? You guys must hate me by now x3 But then again, if it keeps you hooked onto the story, then I'm all for it :D *insert evil laughter here* And don't worry, you'll learn more about Snotlout's rude behavior further along down the line. Believe it or not, Pandas does have a plan.

Don't forget to review on your way out, please. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but flames will be dealt with as is necessary.

Until next time,

~Pandas

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P.S. Viribus, the name of Fishlegs's dragon, is actually supposed to mean the word strength in Latin. I thought it fit because Gronkles are strong dragons, and Fishlegs being the kind of guy he is would know about such things :)

EDIT: I went through the chapter to look at some grammatical errors and fix them. Sorry!


	6. Chapter Five: One Little Drawback

LOOK WHO'S BACK AT LAST! :D Sorry for being away for so long, but I'm sure you guys saw what I had written. This school year was a long one, filled with way more homework than a teenage girl should be forced to bear 3: Who else here isn't a big fan of homework? *sees many hands raised* I knew it!

Anyhoo, the story's back on, and in this chapter you get to meet little Olyvia Haddock. If you go to my DeviantArt you'll find a picture of her somewhere, my username there is the same as the one I have here :) On with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own any aspects of How to Train Your Dragon except for the plotline of this story and of course, Olyvia Haddock.

EDIT: I have made an important change in the story: Olivia's name is now Olyvia. The pronunciation is the same, but Olyvia sounds more like a Viking name. I also fixed some grammatical errors that just made me cringe. Sorry about that :(

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"Wait, my _cousin_?" Hiccup's eyes widened. "But-but I thought she wasn't coming to Berk until Dad came home from the meeting!"

"Slight change of plans," came Gobber's quick answer. "Your dad thought it would be better if she came earlier so that she could get adjusted more quickly. He planned on telling you this morning, but with all the final preparations he had to make, it slipped his mind. Olyvia's come on one of the trading ships and is waiting for us down at the docks right now."

_Thanks a lot, Dad. _Hiccup thought with a slight scowl. "But where is she supposed to sleep? And where will she go while I'm working at the forge or whatever?"

"Stoick wants her in dragon training with the other youngsters," replied Gobber. "And they'll be plenty of room in that big old house of yours. Now," he turned to Hiccup. "What you've got to remember is that she's just lost her mum, the person she loved the most in the world. Try to take her feelings into consideration lad, and if you can, maybe think about how you felt after Valhallarama's passing."

Hiccup swallowed hard at the painful memory of his own mother's death and forced himself not to cry as he managed a short response. "Alright." he murmured softly, finally arriving with Gobber at the docks. Glancing around, Hiccup kept his eyes open in searching for his little cousin, wondering where she could be found amongst all the people. At last, after several long minutes of searching, Hiccup found his cousin, Olyvia Haddock.

The grim little girl was alone, seated upon a trunk that was filled to the brim with items from her former life. Her ordeal had caused her to appear gaunt and pale, lacking the sweet innocence that came with five-year-old girls, and dark circles could be found under her misty, expressionless blue eyes. A short brown bob, traditional for young girls to have in Caldbergh, swept gently around her dusty chin as she didn't even bother to push it away.

Olyvia was dressed in a short-sleeved light blue tunic reaching down to her scrawny knees, complimented by a pair of dark blue leggings and some fur boots, light brown in color. A belt with a few gold colored designs encircled her small waist, and in her hands she held a simple tan rucksack and a worn yellow blanket. She glanced up very slightly upon seeing Hiccup approach her, but said nothing.

"Erm, hello Olyvia." Hiccup knelt down to her level and attempted a weak smile at the girl. "Do you remember me? I'm your cousin, Hiccup."

The child nodded quickly as her gaze instantly fell to the prosthetic leg that Hiccup had. _What happened? _Her expression wondered, speaking for itself.

Hiccup caught Olyvia staring and said, "Oh yeah, um, I'll tell you what happened to my leg later, ok?"

Olyvia nodded again, still silent.

"Well, good then." Hiccup replied, going to stand up. "I'll get uncle Stoick's friend Gobber to take care of your trunk. In the meantime, do you want me to carry that bag for you?" he held out a hand to take it, but Olyvia merely cuddled the object tightly to her chest.

"Alright then," Hiccup answered. "You can hang on to that, and we'll start going back to my house. It's not that far away." He attempted a smile at her. "Maybe you can play with my dragon later, if you're up to it."

Olyvia didn't say anything, but instead shrugged her bony shoulders and began to follow her cousin. _It's going to be tough to look after her if she won't even talk to me. _Hiccup thought to himself. As the odd pair walked through the village, Hiccup was stopped by several people wishing to talk to him about training their dragons, but he was forced to tell them that they had to talk later due to his cousin's presence. All the while, little Olyvia walked quietly beside Hiccup and shuffled her feet along the rocky dirt ground. Once she and Hiccup arrived back at the house, Hiccup led her upstairs to show her where she would be sleeping.

"We do have kind of a spare room," he told his cousin. "But right now, it's all filled up with dad's, er, uncle Stoick's weapons, and my forge supplies. I wasn't expecting you to come so soon, so I haven't cleaned it out. Sorry about that." Hiccup chuckled nervously. "But in the meantime, you can just camp out in my room." He opened the door to his bedroom and allowed Olyvia to step inside.

Blinking slightly, the little girl looked around the room a few times. Hiccup's room wasn't very spacious, but it was just big enough to hold everything the Viking boy needed to be happy. His bed was pushed up into a corner, right next to a little window he had carved into the wall that overlooked the grounds behind the house. Next to the bed, there was a little wooden nightstand with a small drawer, a cabinet, and a candle on top. In another corner of the room, a desk and chair was set up, covered with various books, papers, and another candle to shed some more light. Shelves had been lined up on nearly every available wall space, filled with more books, journals, spare forge supplies, and whatever else Hiccup could cram onto it. The trunk that sat at the end of the bed wasn't very large, but just big enough to hold a few extra sets of clothing and another pair of boots.

"Gobber will be by with your trunk any minute." Hiccup told his cousin. "You can sleep in my bed for the time being. I don't mind sleeping on the floor."

Olyvia cocked her head at him and pursed her tiny lips, deep in thought. Hiccup didn't have a clue as to what she could possibly be thinking about, so instead decided that now would be a good time to give his leg a break from his prosthetic foot. Sitting down upon his bed, he quietly began to undo the straps that kept his fake foot from moving around too much. After the boy had finished, Hiccup removed the limb and set it aside for now.

"What happened to your foot?"

Hiccup glanced up suddenly to see his little cousin looking at him with rapt attention, her blue eyes filled with a mix of wonder and horror.

"Did you break your leg?" she questioned. "And it fell off or something?"

"Erm, no," Hiccup shook his head awkwardly. "That wasn't exactly what happened, Olyvia."

"Oh." she said. "Well, what _did _happen to it? Will you tell me?"

"If you really want to hear it." Hiccup motioned for the child to sit down beside him. She did so, still keeping a tight grip upon her rucksack and blanket and waiting anxiously for Hiccup to begin the story.

Slowly, the Viking boy struggled to find the right words in which to explain the situation regarding his false foot, trying to make the five-year-old understand the full extent of the complex situations leading up to the loss of his limb. Along the way, he was constantly interrupted by an array of questions.

"How come everybody had to fight dragons?"

"Were you upset when they took Toothless away from you?"

"When do I get to meet Astrid?"

By Odin, this girl was talkative! Hiccup could barely say two words before she asked a question about them! It was such a contrast to the stark silence that she had kept before. Nevertheless, he managed to finish his lengthy anecdote and found Olyvia gazing up at him with newfound admiration.

"So you beat the Green Death dragon all by yourself?" she asked with wide eyes. "Wow!"

"Thanks, but I did have some help." Hiccup tried to smile down at his little cousin. She was just like the rest of the village in terms of curiosity, wanting to know everything about his supposed victory. Oh alright, so it _was _a real victory on Hiccup's part, simply because no one had ever done anything like it before. Even still, he didn't think he would ever get used to the sort of awe that was suddenly being directed at him and only him.

For a while, the two cousins sat together in a period of uncomfortable silence, before Olyvia suddenly yawned and stretched out her scrawny arms.

Hiccup spotted this gesture out of the corner of one of his emerald eyes. "Are you sleepy?" he asked. The child nodded once in reply, before yawning again.

"Okay then," Hiccup stood up. "Why don't you take a nap for a little while then?"

"Uh huh..." murmured Olyvia, curling up on the forest green blanket and placing her head on the pillow, spreading her chocolate locks across a sea of stark white. Within seconds, she was asleep, leaving her cousin on his own for a couple of hours.

While he redid the straps to his false foot, the boy debated for a few minutes as to whether or not he should go to the forge and try to get something done, but ultimately decided against it. He was afraid of Olyvia waking up all alone and getting scared, and the last thing Hiccup needed right now was a frightened five-year-old girl in his house. Nonetheless, he thought it would be alright if he brought Toothless in for a few minutes. After all, he hadn't paid much attention to his best friend all day, so Hiccup figured it was the least he could do.

He slowly crept downstairs and out of the back door of the house, being immensely careful not to make too much noise on his false foot and wake Olyvia up. He checked the front door to see if Gobber had dropped off her trunk, and sure enough, there it was. With much effort, Hiccup dragged it into the house and left it by the door. He would worry about taking it upstairs once he got a chance to clean the spare room out.

After some brief searching, the seventeen-year-old boy soon found his Night Fury right where he had left him before: in a clearing in the woods not too far behind the house. Toothless, prior to his owner's arrival, had been rolling around in the thick green grass and playing tag with a little warty toad of the same color. Well, Toothless was trying to play, but his little friend was more interested in hopping towards a nearby stream to catch some flies for supper.

"Hey, bud." Hiccup greeted Toothless with a smile, and the friendly beast quickly bounded towards him, filling the boy's arms with his body. He then proceeded to nuzzle Hiccup in an affectionate manner, topped off with a couple of dragon kisses to the face.

Hiccup laughed, scratching Toothless in his favorite spot on the side of his scaly neck. "I missed you too." he said. "Today just wasn't the same without you. But you were lucky to miss dragon training this morning." Hiccup cringed at the memory.

Toothless' big green eyes, similar to that of his owner's, widened as he wondered what could have possibly happened to make his beloved Hiccup say such a thing.

"Don't worry too much about it, it was nothing." Hiccup shook his head quickly, his chestnut locks shaking back and forth. "Snotlout was just being... difficult is all."

A low growl rose up from the Night Fury's throat as he arched his back menacingly. No one, and he meant _no one_, was going to threaten his Hiccup in any way, shape, or form. Otherwise, they would surely be swallowing fireballs for breakfast.

"Toothless, _no_." Hiccup commanded his dragon gently. "It's nothing to worry about, I told you. Please don't make a big deal out of this."

After seeing the pleading in his owner's forest green eyes, Toothless gave it some thought, before retreating at last with an expression that clearly said _Alright, I won't hurt him... __**yet.**_

"Good boy." Hiccup wrapped his arms around his best friend's neck and leaned in to give him a hug, one which Toothless was more than happy to reciprocate. After pulling away, he spoke.

"Come on, pal." he said. "We're going home."

Toothless nodded, bouncing off after his owner as they made their way back to Hiccup's house. Although Hiccup would have loved to go for a ride with his friend, there was no way he could leave Olyvia alone for that long. Besides, there were some dark gray clouds rolling in and it looked like it was going to downpour at any second.

Within minutes, Hiccup and Toothless were back home. Hiccup struggled slightly to open the heavy door, but finally managed to move it, allowing his dragon to slip inside. Moving carefully towards the staircase, Hiccup left Toothless downstairs for a moment so he could go and check on the sleeping Olyvia Haddock. He found her right where he had left her, all snuggled up among the blankets of his bed.

"Olyvia, wake up." Hiccup said, giving his cousin a gentle shake. "There's someone I'd like you to meet."

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Wow... this was a long one, wasn't it? I was surprised when I typed it out how long it became O_O And I cut it down too! Well, whatever. I hope you all like it anyways and please tell me so with some lovely reviews if you please for they make me feel special and let me know how I'm doing :)

Oh, and there's a funny story behind Olyvia asking whether or not Hiccup broke his leg. See, when I went to see How to Train Your Dragon with my friends (and future boyfriend too!) this little kid in the audience, upon seeing Hiccup's false foot, asked, "Did he break his leg, mommy?" It was EPIC XD That kid is my hero, I tell ya. So yes, that was a little shoutout to any of my friends that happen to be reading this and were in the audience with me :)

Until next time!

~Pandas


	7. Chapter Six: Something New

Hey everybody! It's me, Pandas, bringing you a new chapter of a story I've really missed writing for. I've made a couple of changes, including the change in Olivia's name. She's now Olyvia so that she can sound more like a Viking. I like her new name, and I hope you do too, because I went back and changed it in all the chapters I've written so far x) Phew!

Thank you to all of those who have reviewed this story and offered support, and special thanks to Shade Slayer 333 for giving me some great writing advice! :D This chapter is dedicated to you. Now, let's see how Toothless handles having a new friend around ;) Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own How to Train Your Dragon or any part of this story, except for the plotline and of course, Olyvia.

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Hiccup wasn't quite sure as to how his little cousin would react when she met Toothless. He hoped that she wouldn't cry or freak out too much, because compared to Olyvia, Toothless was, well, _big._ Even still, there was nothing the Night Fury loved more than meeting exciting new people, besides flying with his beloved Hiccup.

The Viking boy held out his hand to the little girl, a hand which she hesitantly took, wrapping it around Hiccup's middle and index fingers. He began to lead her outside the house, wobbling slightly on his bad leg as he walked. Finally, once they both arrived outside, Olyvia turned to Hiccup.

"Who am I meeting?" she questioned. "There's nobody here."

Hiccup made a face. "I'll be right back." he muttered, trudging around to the back of the house to find his friend.

"Toothless!" he called. "C'mon buddy! I _said _I wanted you to meet somebody!"

The Night Fury gave a little irritated growl from his position, curled up among some comfy bushes. Much as he wanted to meet this new person, he was also becoming tired and wished to resume his nap. However, if it would make his best friend happy, then he supposed he could wait a little longer. Yawning, the dragon got up and stretched his massive, shining wings, before going over to say hello to Hiccup.

"You can go back to bed after you meet my friend, ok?" he said to Toothless.

Toothless merely grinned at the interesting prospect, shrugging off how tired he really was. Almost like that of a puppy, the friendly beast followed Hiccup out of the forest and around to the front of the house, where Olyvia was sitting and waiting on the front step.

The little brunette let out a gasp and leapt to her feet, taking a defensive stance the minute she laid eyes on Toothless. Although she had been very anxious to meet one of Hiccup's friends, she couldn't deny that she was more than a little afraid. The dragon seemed friendly enough at a distance, but her mother had always taught her to be a little bit wary of her surroundings, even in a familiar and well-known place. _Can't be too careful. _Mama used to say.

"Shh," Hiccup held his hands up and jogged at a light speed towards his cousin. "Calm down. There's no need to be afraid, Olyvia. He won't hurt you, I promise. Now Toothless," Hiccup swiveled his head towards the beast. "I know you're excited, but please be gentle, alright?"

Toothless gave a little purr in reply, as if to say that he understood perfectly. Carefully, he began to creep along the ground and circle the little girl, sniffing her and finding a scent much different from those he was used to. Olyvia stood stock still, jumping slightly when she felt Hiccup take one of her hands in his own. In the gentlest manner possible, the boy placed Olyvia's hand against Toothless' snout, and then left it to her own will. _I hope she doesn't panic..._

Hesitantly, Olyvia began to stroke the Night Fury's head, and listened to the soft purring from deep within his throat. Olyvia added another hand to the petting and gazed into his grass green eyes, seeing nothing but pure innocence and love. Toothless then proceeded to nuzzle up against Olyvia, burrowing into the soft blue fabric of her tunic, and the child relaxed.

_He's kinda cute._ She realized, grinning shyly. Giggling softly, she wrapped her arms around the Night Fury's snout and squeezed tenderly.

Hiccup watched the entire encounter whilst a small smile appeared on his face. They liked each other, and that was good. It proved they would be able to get along well. Plus, there was no doubt that she would be seeing Toothless in dragon training, so it was necessary for him to be used to her presence.

_Dragon training. _He remembered suddenly. _I'd better let her know._

After stroking Toothless a couple more times, Olyvia found herself looking up at her cousin. "He's sweet." She said at last.

"He is." Hiccup replied with a smile. "I'm glad you like him."

Although the child was happy to have met the famous Night Fury himself, the sadness of losing her mother was still very prominent in her heart. Not a moment went by where she didn't wonder what Mama would think of the situation at hand. Would she be proud that Olyvia was making friends with dragons, considering she had died fighting one? Olyvia didn't know. After all, she was only five. In any case, she waited for Hiccup to continue his sentence, curious as to whether or not he would say more about his dragon friend.

"Olyvia," Hiccup began. "Since you are living here now, you're going to be attending dragon training with some of the other village children, as per Uncle Stoick's orders."

Olyvia cocked her head. "What do you do at dragon training?" she questioned. "Is it like school?"

"Somewhat." Said Hiccup. "You learn how to train dragons so that you can make friends with them. They can help with lots of things, like transporting goods, cleaning your house, and," He glanced down at the child. "Flying."

"Oh." Olyvia nodded, her eyes widening at all the wonderful prospects. "Who's teaching it?"

"I am." Replied Hiccup. "What do you think?"

The girl smiled slightly. "I can't wait."

"I'm glad." Hiccup said, nodding down at her. This was definitely progress as far as he was concerned. Already, he had gotten her to smile, and even talk a little. This was good, this was very good. Although her replies were very subdued, that was to be expected. Her mother did just die after all, so Hiccup certainly wasn't anticipating her to leap around with joy. Still, it was a start.

Hiccup heard his stomach growl all of a sudden, accompanied with a loud clap of thunder from above. Olyvia gasped slightly, while Toothless whimpered and placed his paws over his head.

"Alright then," Hiccup turned towards the two of them. "That's as good an indication as any that we should probably head inside." Going around to the front of his house, he let Olyvia and Toothless in through the front door. The dragon immediately found himself a comfy spot in which to relax up in the rafters, while Olyvia took a seat in front of the fireplace.

"Are you hungry?" Hiccup asked, and the child nodded her head. "Ok, give me a few minutes to make us some dinner."

Now Hiccup had cooked many a time for himself while his father was away for one reason or another, but this was the first time he had ever cooked for someone else. Usually, the Vikings would eat all of their meals in the mead hall, but Hiccup thought it might be better to wait until morning to bring Olyvia. The whole village would be there, and since it was only his cousin's first night in Berk, it would all seem a little overwhelming.

As he searched through the cabinets to find ingredients, he wondered what Astrid was up to at this very moment. Olyvia had mentioned a desire to meet Astrid, but that would have to wait until later. It had begun to rain pretty hard, and he didn't feel like trekking through all that mud. It wasn't good to get his prosthetic leg wet, because then it might rust. He would have to come up with something to combat the wet weather. Plus, he suspected he was getting a cold, since he had started sniffling a lot more often, and going out would only make that worse.

Sighing softly, Hiccup began peeling some potatoes to make potato soup, a dish he knew Olyvia was quite fond of and was certain to make her feel more at home. Hiccup had never had a sibling of his own, so her being here would probably make him feel a little less lonely when the others weren't around. Although he had risen up as a hero amongst the ranks of his peers, he didn't feel as if he truly belonged a lot of the time. Sure, it was great to finally be recognized for something, but how long would it last? Would he go back to being an outsider again after this all blew over, if it blew over at all?

_No. _The redhead shook his head rapidly as he dropped the potatoes into a boiling cauldron that sat over the fire. _That won't happen. Things are different now. _He assured himself. _The people are a lot different too._

Weren't they?

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...And that is chapter six, my friends :) Here's hoping you liked it. If so, please tell me by pressing that magical little button that lets you review stories hehe. Many thanks to those who have reviewed and stuck with this story all the way, and those who have added it to their favorites or story alerts. I love you all 3

Until next time,

~Pandas


	8. Chapter Seven: First Night

Finally, I give you chapter seven of The Awakened! Thanks for all your kind words and reviews thus far, you guys are what keeps this story going :) I hope you like this chapter, it might be my longest yet! As the title suggests, it's Olyvia's first night in Berk. What will happen?

I should also mention that today is my seventeenth birthday! :D I have no school because of the snow in our area. What a great birthday present! I love having my birthday on Halloween :) I was born on a dark and stormy Halloween night, according to my family. What does that say about me, I wonder? ;) Anyways, I'm dressing up as Illeana, an upcoming character for this story that I'm excited for you guys to meet. Enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own How to Train Your Dragon except for Olyvia and other original characters you will see in the story.

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Soon enough, Hiccup finished making the soup and got it ready to eat. He had already tasted a small spoonful, and it seemed just fine to him. Now the big question was this: would Olyvia like it?

Pulling out some bread, he grimaced slightly upon realizing there were only a few slices left. He hadn't had the time lately to go out and buy food, because he had been so busy. He promised himself that he would go to the market after dragon training tomorrow. It might be a fun field trip for Olyvia.

"Olyvia!" Hiccup called, setting the table. "Time for dinner!"

Hopping up from her seat, Olyvia wandered over to the massive table and took a seat. She was so small that the table only came up to her nose! She turned towards her older cousin and gave him a look, waiting patiently for him to do something.

"Whoops." Hiccup smacked himself mentally, forgetting for a brief moment that she was smaller than him. He searched to find something suitable for her to sit on, discovering a small crate that had previously held supplies for his forge.

"Better?" he asked. Olyvia bobbed her head, before glancing down at the food placed in front of her.

"It's potato soup." Explained Hiccup. "Your favorite, right?"

"Mmm hmm." Olyvia murmured. Picking up her spoon, she scooped into the murky liquid and began to eat. As she did so, Hiccup got a few fish from the barrel that stood in the corner and set them out for Toothless so that he could eat as well. For a while, the three of them ate in silence, except for the occasional slurping noise from the Night Fury dragon.

Afterwards, Hiccup went to clean up the bowls, leaving Olyvia alone at the table. He had made the decision not to give her any sort of mead because she was so small, so he wasn't quite sure what it could do to her. Usually there was a supply of water around, but that was Stoick's job to go down to the river since he could carry more. But since Stoick was gone…

Hiccup was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a quiet sniffling noise coming from the table. Whipping his head around, he spotted little Olyvia, her head bowed slightly and her shoulders shaking. When she looked up at her cousin, Hiccup saw that her pale face was streaked with tears.

_Oh no. _thought Hiccup in a panic. She was crying. He had been expecting this, but not quite so soon. He wasn't ready to deal with this, not when he had been so upset about his own mother's death.

Whining softly, Toothless' eyes filled up with concern as he moved closer to the child, but still kept his distance. Hiccup moved over as well, crouching down to her level, and placed a hand awkwardly on her shoulder.

"Hey there," He said softly, turning her to face him in a gentle manner. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong?"

Sniffling, Olyvia shook her head, her dark hair shaking with the motion.

"Do you miss your mom?" he continued. "Is that what it is?"

She nodded rapidly, and broke into tears all over again. Placing her head down onto the table, she hid her face with her arms and sobbed. Glancing over at Toothless, Hiccup's emerald eyes widened.

_Help me._

Coming forward, Toothless nudged his head gently against Olyvia, and turned towards Hiccup. _You know what to do._

He was right, as usual. Leaning forward, Hiccup pulled his little cousin into a gentle and comforting embrace. The child curled immediately into Hiccup's waiting arms and continued to weep bitterly. He lightly began stroking her hair, his own eyes welling up with tears as he remembered his own dear mother, gone for nearly ten years now. The anguish of being the one person who had truly understood him was still as raw as the anguish Olyvia was feeling at this very moment.

His tunic was beginning to get wet from the tears that were being shed from Olyvia's eyes, but he ignored it. Tunics could easily be washed or replaced, but a child's broken heart could not. After nearly ten minutes of tears, Olyvia looked up at her cousin, waiting expectantly for him to speak up.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked.

"Sort of." Olyvia said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. "I miss mama."

"I know you do." answered Hiccup. "And it's going to be ok, I promise you."

Olyvia didn't say anything, but instead burrowed her head into Hiccup's chest to receive comfort. He hugged her tightly for a few more moments, before finally pulling back.

"I think it's about time you got to sleep, don't you?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I suppose so."

"Well," said Hiccup, standing up all the way. "Let's get you ready for bed. Tomorrow marks a new day, doesn't it?"

Olyvia didn't say anything, but merely got down from the table and stood alone in the center of the room. Going over to where her trunk was, Hiccup searched through her belongings to find her sleepwear. He passed through a couple of tunics and a long-sleeved top before stumbling upon a white night shift. Handing it to Olyvia, he and Toothless stepped out for a couple of minutes to give her some privacy.

When they returned, Toothless went up and lightly sniffed at Olyvia's nightgown, not recognizing this new and unfamiliar scent. He looked at her with his questioning, green eyes.

Olyvia turned towards Hiccup. "He smells my mama." she said. For a moment, the Viking teen was afraid that she would start crying again. But instead, she merely crossed her arms over her chest and refused to speak any more. Toothless nudged her slightly, before licking her cheek in a dragon kiss. The gesture got a small giggle to emit from Olyvia, and a grateful smile from Hiccup.

Pulling away, Toothless bounded up the stairs and waited patiently outside of Hiccup's bedroom. Opening the door, Hiccup led Olyvia over to his bed to tuck her in for the night.

He pulled the blankets up around her chin, just the way his aunt Runa had done when Olyvia was a baby. "Just so you know, it gets cold here sometimes, especially in the winter. You should be alright for now though."

"Thank you." Olyvia replied. "Will you wait here until I go to sleep?"

"Yes." Hiccup nodded.

Lying down on her side, the five-year-old girl took one of Hiccup's rough hands in her own and closed her eyes. Within minutes, she had gone to sleep, leaving Hiccup alone for a while. It was too late to go out anywhere, so he decided that he would go downstairs instead and draw up some plans for a new idea that he had.

As he walked down the steps, with Toothless right on his trail, he heard a knock at the door. When he went to answer it, he was surprised to find Astrid standing there, leaning against the doorframe.

"Oh!" His eyes widened slightly. "Hi Astrid."

"Hey Hiccup." Astrid gave him a smile. "Is everything alright? I didn't see you at dinner tonight."

"Everything is great." He replied. "I was just helping my cousin get settled in."

"Your cousin is here?" asked Astrid. "I thought she wasn't arriving until later."

"My dad changed the plans on me." Hiccup ran a hand through his dark auburn hair. "He sent her over here with the ships so that she could get settled better."

"Well, you really didn't miss much." Astrid shrugged her shoulders. "But do you remember how rude Snotlout was to you today?"

"Yeah." Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

"Gobber told his mother about it after dinner." said Astrid. "She was _furious_. She dragged him and his sister out of the mead hall, and as I was walking home, I could still hear her yelling."

"Really?" Hiccup's eyes widened. This was a surprise. He wasn't used to having people be lectured on his behalf. But everything was much different now, wasn't it?

"She was really angry." Astrid continued. "You can probably expect an apology from Snotlout tomorrow morning."

"Well, that would be nice I suppose." Hiccup said.

"Don't worry too much about it." Astrid said, giving him a tender kiss on the cheek. "You deserve one after the way he treated you."

"Yeah." Hiccup figured. "Thanks for stopping by."

"It's no trouble." she replied. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Giving him a soft smile, Astrid turned around and began heading home. The redhead boy sighed contentedly, before he turned around and headed upstairs to his room. Earlier in the evening, he had set up some extra blankets and pillows on the floor to make a semi-comfortable bed. Changing into a pair of loose pants, he left his chest exposed and took off his prosthetic foot for the night. Laying upon the blankets, he curled up next to his dragon friend for warmth and fell into a restless slumber.

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Thus concludes chapter seven :) Hope you enjoyed it everyone! Reviews are always appreciated and encouraged. Again, thanks for all the support!

Until next time,

~Pandas


	9. Chapter Eight: Just a Dream

Happy holidays everyone! I bring you chapter eight of this story as an early Christmas present :) (Or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa present, whatever floats your boat) You'll get to see some sort of explanation for Snotlout's odd behavior in dragon training class. Hope you like!

Disclaimer: I don't own How to Train Your Dragon, except for my original characters. The new summary for the story is owned by Shade Slayer 333. Thanks so much for your help :)

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"_Completely_ uncalled for! What were you thinking, boy?"

Snotlout gave an exasperated sigh. For the past hour now, he had been on the receiving end of a very long lecture. After dinner, Gobber had kindly informed his mother of her son's behavior in dragon training that day. Needless to say, Gunnhilde was _mad_. She had dragged her son right out of the mead hall, with his little sister following close behind.

Now Gunnhilde, a short, stout woman with tousled brown hair and eyes burning like the fires of hell, stood in front of her only son, the current man of the house.

"Well?" she said impatiently. "I'm waiting."

"I don't know, alright?" Snotlout replied defensively. "I was tired, I was cranky, and it was just a bad day. I'm sorry."

"Don't be apologizing to _me!_" Gunnhilde shook her head. "Apologize to your cousin! He's the one you humiliated in front of all them kids! That shouldn't be too much of a task for the _bravest _Viking of them all." She stared pointedly at him over her long, thin nose.

Under her gaze, Snotlout suddenly felt like a little boy again, being reprimanded. He hadn't really said that, had he? He was just angry. Angry that Hiccup was getting all the attention, angry that Astrid wouldn't give him the time of day, angry that his cousin, the one who had always been compared to him, had now made it the other way around.

_Man, am I dumb… _the Viking thought guiltily.

Gunnhilde sighed and spoke again, softer this time. "Look here," she began. "You're old enough to know that what you did was wrong, and I expect you to own up to it. Your father left you to provide for us, after all. If that's too much for you to handle-"

"It's not, Mom." Snotlout cut her off. "I swear."

"Alright then." Gunnhilde sighed. "So I can trust you to apologize to Hiccup tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Snotlout looked away.

"There's a good lad." She patted his shoulder comfortingly. "See that you get that done. Now, off with you. I've got some sewing to finish up, and it won't do to have you milling about under my feet."

With a heavy sigh, Snotlout turned away, and walked outside into the cool night air. Lectures from his mother were often enough to remind him that he was nowhere near as great as he thought he was. He didn't like that. He liked knowing that he was good at what he did, and when he wasn't, it threw off his entire equilibrium.

Snotlout _had _supposed that he had been a bit too harsh on Hiccup, especially since things were different now. Truth be told, the guy wasn't really that bad. When it really came down to it, he was quite noble. Snotlout would have to make it up to him somehow.

"Are you in big trouble?"

Turning around, Snotlout spotted his little sister, Tilly Jorgenson, standing there. Like most six-year-old girls, she was interested in everything she saw, especially where it was none of her business. Not to say he didn't care for her, because he did. He just cared more when she wasn't being a pain in the rear.

"What's it to you?" he responded curtly.

She shrugged her wide shoulders, slightly too wide for a child her age. "I could hear Mum yelling at you."

"You and everyone else." Snotlout muttered. "Enjoy the show?"

"Yeah." replied Tilly. "My favorite part was when she was yelling at you."

"I'm sure it was."

Tilly grinned toothily at her big brother, exposing the gap between her two front teeth. Snotlout knew she was just fooling around, since he did the same to her whenever she got lectured, but right now, he wasn't in the mood for jokes.

Dusting off her lavender tunic, she stared up at him with dark brown eyes. "Will you take me hunting?" she asked.

"Not tonight." Snotlout shook his head. "It's too dark out."

"Ok." Tilly slumped, and the seventeen-year-old couldn't help but feel guilty. "Tomorrow then?"

"Yes." Replied her brother.

With a smile, Tilly straightened her posture and skipped back inside the house. In many ways, she and her big brother were alike. They both had dark, shaggy brown hair, but Tilly kept hers in a little ponytail behind her head. Each had a lot of muscle for someone of their age group, although Tilly's was mostly baby fat that she had yet to shed. And, in Tilly's opinion, Snotlout was much crabbier than she would ever be.

"It's just because daddy is away." Mum had said when the girl had asked. That made sense. Tilly missed him too. But she wasn't sure she liked having Snotlout be in charge. It just wasn't natural.

_Oh well._ She shrugged. At least it wasn't forever. Soon enough, the old Snotlout would be back. Perhaps then he would finally teach her how to throw an axe.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hiccup was far from having a good night's rest. Not only was the floor uncomfortable for his leg and his back, but he was tossing and turning, wrapped up in a strange and unsettling dream…

_It had started out just fine. Wonderful, in fact. It was just him and Toothless, riding through a night sky. They darted through constellations and flipped through trees, enjoying the salty ocean breeze and each others' company._

_They then traveled over a body of water, the water that surrounded the island of Berk. All of a sudden, something darted out of a nearby wave and flew up next to the pair. Upon closer inspection, Hiccup found it to be a girl!_

_She certainly didn't look like a typical Viking girl. Instead of having shiny, golden blonde hair, this girl's hair was a dark black, illuminated by the moonlight. From one of her two braids, a couple of feathers danced lightly in the breeze._

_She dressed differently too, clad in a black lace-up corset, blood red tunic, and tough leather boots. But perhaps the strangest thing about her was that there was a pair of enormous, feathery wings sticking out of her back._

_The girl leaped over so that she was in front of Hiccup, crouched down on Toothless' broad neck. She brought a hand up, allowing the boy to see her black netted gloves across her pale skin. Kissing her fingertips lightly, she pressed them tenderly against Hiccup's mouth._

_His eyes widened at the gesture. "Who are you?"_

_She merely put a finger to her lips, grinning mischievously. Before Hiccup could say another word, the girl had begun to fly away until she vanished into the moon, leaving behind a very confused Viking boy._

Hiccup awoke from his dream with a start, the bright sunlight invading his senses. He brought a shaky hand up to his face, still feeling the touch of the dream girl's fingers. He then remembered that when he was young, his mother used to tell him tales of enchantresses that roamed the land, seducing innocent boys with their beauty. It was said that because they recited spells that could kill man or beast alike, that they had unholy lips.

"A sorceress's kiss," His mother used to say. "Is a deadly thing indeed."

Hiccup felt his blood run cold at the stories from Vallhallarama about these "Dark Ones." They were only stories… right?

He pushed his dream aside and got up to get dressed. There were things to do, places to go, and people to see. After he woke Olyvia up and had her do the same, they headed downstairs to find Toothless bounding excitedly all over the living room.

"Hey bud." Hiccup gave him a smile and a hug. "Sleep well?"

Toothless whinnied joyfully in reply and nuzzled his owner's belly in an affectionate manner. Hiccup laughed lightly. "I thought so."

It was time to go to the mead hall for breakfast with the village. Taking Olyvia's small hand in his larger one, Hiccup started down the path with his cousin and his dragon. The girl kept a steady pace beside him, her large, clear eyes taking in everything they saw.

On their journey, they made a stop at the forge so that Hiccup could check in with Gobber. Upon seeing him, Olyvia's jaw dropped to the floor. That poor man had lost both an arm _and _a leg!

Seeing her stare, Gobber merely chuckled. "You get used to it after a while." He told her. "I assume you are Miss Olyvia then?"

"Yes sir." She nodded respectfully.

"Call me Gobber, darlin'." The blacksmith said, shaking her hand. Having worked with the village children in dragon training and raising four children of his own, Gobber had become quite apt at dealing with the youth.

He let her explore the forge for a while as he spoke with Hiccup. "How's she doin'?"

"She got a bit teary last night," Hiccup admitted. "But other than that, she's fine."

"I'm glad." Gobber smiled. "See? I knew you could do it."

Hiccup felt himself smile at the compliment. Olyvia was well, and that was good. Now, all he had to do was look after the village.

"Let's get going." Gobber said, picking up his rucksack. "We don't want to be late."

And so, the three of them again started towards the mead hall, where they would eat breakfast with the rest of their friends and family. After that, Hiccup would then begin the dragon training class for the children under twelve years of age. Their class took place in the mornings, three days a week, while everyone else had class in the afternoon every other day.

Finally, they arrived at their destination and Olyvia rushed towards Hiccup. She grabbed his hand tightly and refused to let go, and Hiccup figured that she must be afraid of all the people. Opening the heavy door, Gobber ushered the two of them inside.

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Stay tuned for chapter nine, my readers, for it will be coming soon! I'm aiming for updates either every week or every other week. Here's wishing you all a happy holiday season with your families and friends :)

Until next time,

~Pandas


	10. Chapter Nine: Responsibility

Hello all, and here is the latest chapter of The Awakened for your reading pleasure :) I am uploading this during my vacation, which is going by much too fast. Anyhoo, it's been a while since I've updated this, so if there are any issues with consistency, let me know. Now, onward to chapter nine!

Disclaimer: I don't own How to Train Your Dragon, except for the plotline of this story and my original characters. The summary belongs to Shade Slayer 333.

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Upon his entrance, all eyes turned to face the future chief of Berk and the little one standing beside him. Olyvia immediately turned and buried her face into Hiccup's furry vest, desperately wishing for her mother.

Hiccup tried to smile and nod politely to everyone, as was a chief's job, but doing so made him feel false. Before this, he had never been particularly sociable, but he at least tried to be courteous. This was new ground for him.

On his way to fill his and Olyvia's plates, he ran into a young mother with dark brown hair and green eyes, carrying an infant on her hip. With a smile, he inquired as to how she was, because he remembered that the woman had recently given birth to a baby.

"I've been well," said the woman, known to the village as Dallah. "But this one has been keeping me busy as of late." she chuckled.

"Oh yeah," said Hiccup. "Her name is Arela, right?"

"Yes indeed." Dallah replied, and then noticed Olyvia at Hiccup's side. "Hi there." she said with a gentle smile. "I haven't seen you around here before, are you new?"

Olyvia nodded quickly, hardly daring to look the young mother in the eye.

"This is my cousin, Olyvia." Hiccup said, introducing her.

"Pleasure to meet you, Olyvia." Dallah smiled, before turning to Hiccup once more. "I meant to tell you earlier, my husband is in need of a new sword. His old one is on its last legs. Do you think you could make one for him?"

"Not a problem." The redhead replied with a smile.

"Thank you, I really appreciate it." continued Dallah. "Well, I'll not keep you any longer, you need your breakfast after all."

"Alright." said Hiccup. "Bye Dallah, bye Arela." He waved after the pair as the tiny baby stared at him with intense green eyes that could have only come from her mother.

Afterwards, the teenager turned to Olyvia. "What do you think so far?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "People seem nice."

"Good." said Hiccup as he filled the both of their plates with food. Once that was done, he led her over to the table where the other Viking kids, including Hiccup's friends, were seated. Spotting the pair, Astrid ushered them over to the two open seats next to her.

"Hey Hic." Tuffnut said, using the shortened version of Hiccup's name that he and his sister had come up with. "Who's the kid?"

"Everyone, this is my cousin, Olyvia." He told the little girl the names of all the teens at the table, consisting of the twins, Astrid, and Fishlegs.

"Olyvia, eh?" Ruffnut said. "She's a real cutie. I could just eat her up right now." She gave a light pinch to the five-year-old's cheek and winked at her. Olyvia gave a shy grin in return.

"She seems very charming." Astrid smiled at her in a reassuring manner.

"So Hiccup," Fishlegs spoke up. "Where is your cousin from?"

"Caldbergh." came the reply.

"Caldbergh?" asked the chubby Viking kid. "They have a really good fishing industry down there. We trade with them all the time."

"I dated a girl from there once." said Tuffnut, his mouth stuffed with food.

"No you didn't." Ruffnut rolled her eyes at him. "You're lying."

"Nuh uh," insisted Tuffnut. "We made out and everything."

"So? That doesn't mean you two were dating."

"Does too!"

"Does not!"

"Does too!"

"Does not!"

"Anyways," interrupted Astrid. "How's your room looking, Olyvia?"

"Um, I don't have one." Olyvia admitted.

"I have to clean out the spare room for her." Hiccup added. "I've been really busy lately, so I haven't had the time."

"Huh." Ruffnut commented, and then turned to Olyvia. "Where's he puttin' ya then? With the dragons?"

"No, I stay in Hiccup's room." the little one replied.

"I could give you a hand with Olyvia's room," offered Astrid. "If you'd like."

"That would be great. Thanks Astrid." Hiccup smiled gratefully at his girlfriend.

"Oh, she's gonna give him a _hand_, is she?" Tuffnut said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at the others. His sister almost spit out her mead, she was laughing so hard. Meanwhile, Hiccup turned a bright, embarrassed red.

"T-That's not what she meant!" he sputtered out.

"What's not what he meant?" inquired Olyvia. "I don't get it."

"It's nothing." Astrid quickly covered for Tuffnut's innuendo. "He's just being dumb."

"Why are you giving him your hand?" Olyvia pestered. "You need it, don't you?"

"She won't, kiddo." Ruffnut leaned over and rumpled Olyvia's short brown hair. "Not while you're around, at least."

"Huh? What-"

"Olyvia!" interrupted Hiccup. "I don't think you've seen the village market yet. Why don't we go today?"

"The market?" Olyvia's misty blue eyes widened. "Is it fun?"

"Oh yes!" Astrid continued a little too brightly. "There's lots you can do there!"

As his girlfriend went on and on about the wonders of the marketplace to the dreamy-eyed child, Hiccup finished his meal and went to return his plate, trying to push any and all impure thoughts from his teenage mind. He couldn't believe Tuffnut's nerve, making a joke like that in front of an innocent little girl! Hiccup hoped he wouldn't have to be the one to explain these things to her. That would be really awkward.

It wasn't as if those thoughts hadn't crossed his mind, though. In fact, on more than one occasion, Hiccup found himself thinking about the possibilities that could occur between him and Astrid. This only happened before he forced himself to ponder upon a different topic, a less awkward one. Hiccup may have saved his entire village from destruction and ended a centuries old conflict between humans and dragons, but not even he was exempt from teenage hormones.

Well, no matter. By the time they went to the market, Olyvia would have forgotten all about the incident anyways, and Hiccup wouldn't have to explain anything. He walked back to the table and tapped his cousin on the shoulder.

"C'mon Olyvia, it's time to go now."

"Ok." She hopped down from the table and straightened her tunic. "Is Astrid going with us?"

Hiccup blushed slightly. "She can if she wants to."

"I want to." Astrid smiled at her boyfriend, ignoring the snickers coming from the less mature members of their group.

"Have fuuuun!" Ruffnut called out with a giggle.

"Don't get carried away, now." Tuffnut choked out through his laughter.

Hiccup sighed. "Goodbye, you guys." He said, taking Olyvia's hand and walking towards the heavy front doors, which someone had propped open to let a cool breeze in. Before they could leave though, a voice called out to them.

"Hiccup!"

Spinning around, the future chief saw Snotlout lumbering towards him, a serious look etched upon his face.

"Hiccup," Snotlout paused in front of his cousin. "I-I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about what I said at dragon training."

"Wait, what?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I'm sorry for… for what I said." Snotlout said. "And for how I acted too. I was having a crappy day, and I guess it sorta got to me."

"Oh." said Hiccup, slightly stunned. "Well, um, thanks."

"Don't mention it." His cousin replied. "I've gotta go now. See you around." And with that, Snotlout jogged back into the hall, leaving behind a very bewildered Hiccup.

"Am I crazy," he said to Astrid. "Or did Snotlout just apologize to me?"

"No, he said he was sorry." Astrid answered. "I just heard him, and so did you."

"Maybe his mother made him do it." said Hiccup. "I could hear her yelling at him the other night."

"He's kind of scary." Olyvia mentioned, clinging tightly to Hiccup's hand.

"He's intimidating," agreed Astrid. "But he's not going to hurt you."

She was right. Snotlout was large, tough, and occasionally a bit scary, but even he wouldn't hurt a child like Olyvia. He did have _some _standards, after all. Still, to terrorize others was most likely his goal in life. That way, he would appear fierce and no one would dare to get on his bad side. Such was the Viking way, after all.

Except Hiccup, of course.

With Astrid and Olyvia by his side, the three of them traveled down to the busy, bustling marketplace so that Hiccup could buy some supplies. Going to each of the brightly colored stalls, he purchased a supply of food that would last him and Olyvia a week or two, and also browsed through things that he could use in the forge. Olyvia, meanwhile, had a blast playing with the baby Terrible Terrors that someone was selling, and even met some other children while she was at it. On the way home, she begged for Hiccup to buy her one, but he didn't want to make Toothless jealous, and so declined.

When they got home, they found the Night Fury himself waiting for them, jumping excitedly upon their arrival. Now that they were through, they would have about an hour's worth of relaxation time before the children's training class was set to begin.

What no one knew, however, was that this training class would spark a series of events that would change their lives forever…

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And this chapter, my dears, is the reason the story is rated T ;) Could have been worse, right? Hope you like it! Stay tuned for the next chapter, I hope to have it up soon :)

Love,

~Pandas


	11. Chapter Ten: The Attack

Hey everyone! How's it going? I'm finally updating this story now that it's summer, and I hope to do so more frequently. This chapter is the gateway to several important things that will happen in the story, so pay attention now won't you? :)

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all the wonderful reviews and support that you have given me for this story, I don't know what I'd do without it. You guys are the best, you really are :D *hugs you all and gives out free cookies*

Now that I've said that, on with the tale!

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD (obviously), but I do own Olyvia, Tilly, and another character that you will meet in this chapter. Shade Slayer 333 helped me with the summary, so thanks so much for that! :3

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Chapter Ten: The Attack

Walking into the arena, Hiccup was met by an array of kids, ranging from children Olyvia's age to preteens. There were not many, perhaps ten or twelve at the most, but Berk was a small village. Besides, it was only a month ago that a bout of the flu had swept through the small community, and a lot of people were still recovering.

"Alright everyone, let's get to work, shall we?" Hiccup began. "I'm going to start by introducing my cousin, Olyvia. It's her first day, so I trust that you will all make her feel welcome here."

Staying close by her cousin's side, Olyvia gave a nervous smile at the assembled group. The older kids ignored her, but some of the younger ones recognized her from the market and smiled. One child gave her a gap-toothed grin and motioned for the new girl to stand next to her. This was none other than Tilly, Snotlout's little sister and a legend only in her own mind.

"We'll be working in pairs today," continued Hiccup. "So I'm going to pair you guys up right now."

The children all let out a groan, hoping that each would end up with their friends, but the possibility now seemed unlikely.

"That's enough." said the young teacher. "Olyvia, I'll put you with Tilly for the day. Tilly, I want you to show her the ropes and make sure she knows what she's supposed to do."

"Yes sir." Tilly grinned toothily at her other cousin.

Hiccup gave a stressed sigh and proceeded to pair up the other children, while Tilly turned to her new partner.

"Hiya cousin, my name's Tilly." she introduced herself. "I'm gonna make sure nuthin' bad happens to ya, so stick with me and you'll be fine."

"Thank you." Olyvia smiled slightly. "My name is Olyvia. Are you and me really cousins?"

"Yup!" replied Tilly. "Your mama and my daddy were siblings, so that makes us cousins."

"I didn't know I had a cousin my age." Olyvia's eyes widened a little.

"Well, now ya do." laughed Tilly. "C'mon, lemme show ya my dragon." Grabbing onto Olyvia's hand, she dragged her over to a small yellow and orange Terrible Terror with big blue eyes.

"Olyvia," she said, scooping up the miniature beast. "Say hello to Ginger."

"Aww!" cried Olyvia, reaching out to pet the little dragon. "She's so cute!"

"Ain't she though?" giggled Tilly. "My mom didn't like her at first, but ever since we found her catching stray mice, we thought we'd keep her around."

"Ooh." Olyvia said in admiration. She didn't know dragons were capable of keeping house, the way a regular person could.

The girls then tuned in to Hiccup's demonstration on how to properly groom a dragon, and proceeded to try it out on Ginger. Olyvia pulled her mane a bit too roughly though, and Ginger puffed out a tiny, surprised fireball. For some reason, this sent both children into a fit of giggles at her sweet, surprised face.

"Girls," Hiccup said gently. "Calm down please." But he was smiling as he talked. Truth be told, he enjoyed seeing Olyvia so happy. Was this really the same sad girl that had shown up on the docks a short while ago? Just look at her now! She was happy and vivacious, and enjoying her new life as it was.

Since the kids had behaved so well, Hiccup allowed them to play with their dragons for the remainder of class. This truly was a treat, since Toothless would be able to walk around and say hello to everyone. The children, just like Hiccup, positively adored Toothless.

All of a sudden, a low growl came from the top of the arena, causing everyone to look up in shock. There, perched on the stone wall, was a deep blue Night Fury dragon with fiery orange eyes and bared teeth. It stared angrily down at the occupied arena, but its gaze rested upon Toothless. Letting out an unholy screech, it leaped down into the open space, causing both child and dragon to scream in terror.

It was then that Hiccup leaped into action. "Everybody get back!" he cried, gathering the children into a group and standing in front of them.

The rogue dragon leapt about the arena, screeching and yelling and going after the larger dragons, whom had the brains to fly away to a safe location. Some, however, were either too young or too afraid to move from their spots. Ginger, whom Tilly had been clinging to for dear life, leapt out of her arms and ran towards the center of the arena.

"Ginger!" shrieked Tilly, running out towards her stray dragon.

"Tilly, don't!" hollered Hiccup, breaking away from the frightened kids to retrieve his other cousin.

Nothing was on the little girl's mind except that of her dragon, her sweet little playmate, and the possibility of losing her forever to the rogue Night Fury. No way was Tilly about to let that dragon make a meal out of Ginger.

Running forward, she scooped the Terrible Terror into her arms and hugged her tightly, ignoring the dragon's intense squirming. Suddenly, she heard a low, scary growl from above and glancing upward, saw the rogue dragon glaring down at her.

Tilly was too terrified to run, or even move. She blinked up at the angry beast, breathing heavily as her heart threatened to burst forth from her chest. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hiccup running towards her and screaming her name, but her legs were completely frozen in fear.

The rogue dragon stood up on its hind legs, spread its wings, and let out another loud screech. Tilly shut her eyes tightly and crouched down, curling protectively around Ginger, as she prepared for the beast to rip her to shreds.

All of the sudden, the beast was tackled from the side and slid across the arena, landing on its back. Opening her eyes, Tilly saw the runaway beast being tackled by none other than… Toothless!

As he kept the other dragon occupied, Hiccup grabbed onto Tilly and ran with her to the exit of the arena, into the arms of her awaiting mother. Once all the children and their dragons were safely evacuated, Hiccup turned his attention towards the fighting dragons.

Currently, Toothless had pinned the other Night Fury to the ground as it thrashed and struggled with all its might against its opponent. Freeing one of its claws, the beast swiped at Toothless across the snout, giving it the upper hand in the fight. The dragons wrestled for a few minutes, before Toothless spit a fireball right into the side of the other dragon. Crying out, the beast rushed towards an all new target.

_Hiccup._

The Viking boy heard people screaming his name, Astrid among them, and began to run for his life through the arena. If there was one thing he knew about dragons, it was that one should never try to get between them while they were fighting. He hit the ground and covered his head, a practical move to protect himself. The wild Night Fury grabbed Hiccup between its jaws, whipping him about. Everyone was yelling, some crying, as several of the biggest men rushed into the arena to subdue the beast.

Toothless, however, was much quicker. In one swift move, he had crashed into his opponent, forcing it to release Hiccup from its grip. His claws tore at the attacking dragon with an anger that he rarely showed.

Finally, the other dragon knew it had been beaten. With one last, furious growl, it flew away and vanished into the distance.

Afterwards, everything was a blur. Rushing over to Hiccup, Toothless whined softly when he saw his owner's injuries. An enormous gash had torn into both human and dragon alike, Hiccup's across his upper body and Toothless' across his face. Blood was everywhere, splattered against the walls of the arena and pooling around Hiccup's limp body. The last thing he saw was Toothless curling around him and a blonde head of hair rushing towards him, before his world went completely black.

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DUN DUN DUUUN! Another cliffhanger? I'm so cruel, aren't I? ;) Anyways, I hope you enjoyed that. Stay tuned for the next chapter, when we see the aftermath of the attack. *cue epic music*

See you next time!

~Pandas


	12. Chapter Eleven: Aftermath

Welp, the next chapter, just like I promised :D I'm aiming for weekly updates, so this is a big step for me. Hooray! Thank you for all your kind reviews, favorites, and story alerts, they mean a lot to me. I will try to answer those reviews as soon as possible. Until then, I give you chapter eleven of The Awakened and Olyvia to do the disclaimer.

Olyvia: What? Me? I get to do the disclaimer?

Me: Sure, why not? I'm feeling a little lazy anyways x3

Olyvia: Awesome! :D Wait, what's a disclaimer?

Me: Basically, you just have to say that I, the author of this story, do not own How to Train Your Dragon. Got it?

Olyvia: Got it! BlueSilverPandas does not own How to Train Your Dragon and she's not trying to make any money off of it, so please don't arrest her.

Me: But I do own the plot. And you, of course.

Olyvia: *pout* And me, of course. Can I have a cookie?

Me: Yes, yes you may :)

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Chapter Eleven: Aftermath

_Hiccup's eyes blinked open as a bright, shining light flooded his senses. After the attack, he had expected to feel sharp, searing pain rush through his body. He was surprised when none came. Raising himself slightly upon his elbows, he took a quick look around at his surroundings. He was lying in a meadow, on soft green grass beneath a bright blue sky, obscured slightly by the branches of a tree. Glancing quickly to the right, he was very surprised to see… the girl from his dream! _

_She was smiling gently down at him, her dark eyes shining with joy. Her hair, equally dark and black as the night, streamed down around her shoulders. Hiccup opened his mouth to speak, but found that no matter what he did, he was positively mute. What was this?_

_The girl, seeing his shock, laughed a little and patted his hair. Rising to her feet, she let out a whistle and a dark dragon touched down in front of her. Hiccup saw that this was the same beast that had attacked the arena, for although it seemed tame, he saw the angry scar that Toothless had left across its face. With a wave, the girl mounted the Night Fury and flew off into the clouds…_

Hiccup opened his eyes with a start, but instantly regretted it when he felt the sharp, searing pain that had been absent during his dream. Glancing downwards, he saw that his chest was bare, save for a bloodstained bandage wrapped around his torso. He was in his room again, and it appeared that he was alone.

Or not, judging by the slight weight at the foot of his bed. Taking a look, he saw Olyvia laying there, her eyes closed and clutching her old yellow blanket as if she would never let it go.

"She didn't want to leave you." said a voice from the doorway. "And neither did I."

The voice turned out to be Astrid, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her eyes and face were red, as if she had been crying. Walking over towards Hiccup's bed, she sat down next to her boyfriend, a worried look on her face.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"My chest is really sore," said Hiccup. "But I'm alive. How are the kids?"

"They're pretty shaken up." replied Astrid with a frown. "Lots of them were crying at the arena. Olyvia was hysterical, actually. She kept yelling and screaming about how you were going to leave like her mother did. Gobber had to stop her from running in after you."

_Oh no._

Hiccup reached to the end of the bed to stroke the little girl's hair, causing her to stir and open her eyes.

"Hiccup?" Olyvia sniffed a bit and wiped at her nose.

"It's ok, Olyvia." he said gently. "I'm ok."

Crawling towards him, the small brunette wrapped her arms around her cousin and squeezed gently. Hiccup winced at the small jolt of pain, but kept his arms wrapped around her, even when he felt a dampness begin to form on his chest.

"Shh." Hiccup said, attempting to comfort the child. "It's alright. Everything is going to be alright."

"I thought you died." whispered Olyvia. "I thought you were leaving and never coming back, like my mama."

"No, of course not." Hiccup pulled away and gazed down at his cousin. "I'm not going anywhere, Olyvia. Not anytime soon."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

"Good." Curling up into her cousin's lap, Olyvia closed her eyes and drifted back into her slumber. Keeping one arm draped around her, Hiccup turned towards Astrid. She was still seated on the side of the bed, but refused to look at him.

"Astrid?" began Hiccup.

"I thought the same thing as Olyvia." Astrid said softly. "The attack… it reminded me of when you and Toothless fought the Green Death, and…" She trailed off, her misty eyes fixated on Hiccup's prosthetic limb.

Resting his hand upon the side of her face, Hiccup gently moved Astrid's head so that they were looking into each other's eyes.

"Listen to me, Astrid." He spoke in a firm but caring voice. "It's like I said to Olyvia a minute ago. I'm not going anywhere, and I refuse to let anything happen to me. If that means I have to fight the Green Death a thousand times over, then so be it. But I will _always_ find a way back to you."

His eyes, a beautiful shade of forest green, were full of love and determination. Astrid was one of the most important people in Hiccup's life, and he was going to make sure that she was aware of that. His words were true in every manner possible. No matter what happened, he would never leave her side, even if it meant defying death itself.

Leaning in, the seventeen-year-old boy pressed his lips to the blonde girl's forehead, pulling her into a loving embrace. Astrid closed her eyes and moved into his touch, being careful so as not to injure Hiccup's chest any further. The pair remained like that for a while, enjoying each other's company, when Astrid suddenly pushed her lips onto Hiccup's in a fierce kiss. To think that she had almost lost him again tore her heart in ways no one could ever imagine.

Hiccup was surprised, but having been dating Astrid for a few months now, he had grown used to her bold displays of affection. He responded to the kiss, remaining vaguely aware of the sleeping five-year-old lying against his leg. He would have to be extra careful so as not to wake her up, lest she start asking questions about him and Astrid. Again.

The Viking boy wrapped one of his arms around Astrid's waist to pull her closer, as she in turn ran a hand through his unkempt, auburn hair. His lips were gentle and a little chapped, Astrid noted in the back of her mind. It was a feeling that she had become very used to throughout the course of their relationship, and one she wanted a lot more of.

Her hand began to drift down his side, avoiding his injury, moving closer to the front of his pants. She wanted nothing more than to rub against the bulge that had begun to form there, but had to contain herself. Olyvia was still there, after all.

"Ahem."

The pair broke apart to find Gobber standing at the doorway, clearing his throat in an awkward manner. Astrid's face turned a bright, cherry red when she spotted him, and she quickly removed her hands from her boyfriend's body.

"U-Um," Hiccup broke the silence first. "H-Hey there, Gobber."

"Hello." Gobber responded. "Eh, it's good to see that yer up. We were startin' to get worried about yeh. How're ye feelin'?"

"Sore." Hiccup grimaced.

"Well, that's to be expected." said Gobber. "But we got ye all patched up, an' in a few days you'll be good as new. 'Til then, take it easy."

He eyed Astrid as he said this, causing her to look away in embarrassment. Gobber wasn't stupid, he had been young once after all, and he knew perfectly well what those two did when they were alone. He just hoped that they would be careful and behave themselves, because to tell the truth, he really didn't want any little ones running around before they were supposed to.

"If I were you," continued the blacksmith. "I'd stay in bed the rest of the day, jus' to be safe." He glanced pointedly at Hiccup. "I trust you'll behave yerself, won't ye?"

"Y-Yes!" Hiccup stuttered, desperately wishing to be anywhere but here. "I'll be fine!"

"As ye wish." Gobber shrugged and turned to leave. Once he was gone, Hiccup let out a sigh of relief.

_That was humiliating. _He thought. _And right in front of Astrid too! _It wasn't as if those images hadn't crossed Hiccup's mind before, but the fact that Gobber was very much aware of it was absolutely mortifying.

Before he could talk to Astrid about it though, Olyvia woke up from her little nap and immediately began inquiring as to whether or not her cousin was okay. Hiccup assured her multiple times that yes, he was doing just fine, but it wasn't enough for Olyvia. She insisted that Hiccup hold her blanket, and draped it around his bare shoulders so that he wouldn't catch cold.

The rest of the day trickled by as people came to visit the future chief of Berk. Some stayed longer than others, and a few even dropped off plates of food that would last Hiccup the entire week. Although very tough and brutish as a whole, Vikings also maintained some degree of hospitality, especially after Hiccup had showed them how to train dragons.

All too soon, night fell and dinnertime approached. Astrid offered to make some soup for Hiccup and bring it up, an offer the boy decided to take her up on. Olyvia, meanwhile, had gotten tired of sitting around all day, so she joined Astrid in this endeavor, leaving Hiccup on his own.

Suddenly, the teenager heard a thump from outside his window. When he went to check it out, he saw none other than Toothless, clawing against the side of the house in an attempt to get into Hiccup's bedroom. Hiccup's smile grew wide at the sight and he called out to his best friend. With an excited squeal, Toothless managed to squeeze his large head in through the window and lay it across Hiccup's lap.

"Hey buddy!" Hiccup said, scratching Toothless in his favorite spot behind his ears. The beast, in turn, nuzzled his head into his owner's body and licked his face, grateful for the fact that he was alive.

"You worried about me?" Hiccup asked his dragon friend. Toothless whined softly in response and Hiccup finally saw the scars that had formed along the Night Fury's body. After the attack, Toothless had disappeared for a while, trying to find the dragon that dare hurt his Hiccup and make it pay for the damage it had done. However, he had been unsuccessful. When he got back, the dragon had to be treated for the injuries it had sustained during the fight, but now that he was finally with Hiccup, everything was as it should be.

"I'm more worried about _you_." the teen admitted. "How are you doing?"

Toothless cocked his head to one side, as if to say _I'll be fine._ Hiccup gave a sigh of relief and wrapped his arms around the dragon's head, pulling him into a fierce embrace. Toothless whined softly and happily leaned into his best friend.

In the back of his mind, Hiccup wondered if the attack on the arena had really been all that it seemed to be. Another Night Fury? It wasn't impossible, he knew that for sure, but it seemed surreal. Was that attack really as random as it seemed, or was there something else at work here? He wasn't positive, but of one thing Hiccup was absolutely certain.

_This wasn't over._

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In terms of the plot, nothing major really happens in this chapter, and for that I apologize. However, I hope you enjoyed the fluffiness and slight innuendo to make up for the lack of real action x3 There will be more happening the next time around, that I can say for sure.

Olyvia: What's an innuendo?

Me: Whoops! I forgot you were still here '-.- It's nothing you need to worry about right now.

Olyvia: Why was Hiccup kissing Astrid while I was sleeping? That's just gross!

Me: Just wait a few years, I promise you'll change your mind ;)

Olyvia: But-!

Me: HERE! Have a cookie! *gives her a box of chocolate chip cookies*

See you next time! :)

~Pandas


	13. Chapter Twelve: A Dark and Stormy Night

Welp, I'm back. And I've started school again, so my posting will be a bit slowed. I guess it's slow already, but now I'll have homework in my way :( Sorry guys. I hope this chapter makes up for it, since this is a pretty important moment in the story.

Oh, and how do you guys like the new Dragons: Riders of Berk series on Cartoon Network? I've seen the first three episodes and I think it's AMAZING! :D I watched the official premiere the other night and was fangirling like mad at the little HiccupxAstrid moments. I won't spoil it for you in case you haven't seen it, but it's all adorable and I like this show quite a lot :3 Now all I need to do is get my friends to like it so we can all fangirl like mad! XD Muahaha!

Ok, you can get on with the story now.

Disclaimer: How to Train Your Dragon is owned by Cressida Cowell and Dreamworks, I only write for entertainment and to satisfy my inner fangirl needs. I am making ZERO money from this.

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Three days later, Hiccup was feeling well enough to go back to his daily routine, teaching dragon training and working in the forge. He and Toothless had also gone out with Astrid and her dragon, Ember, the night before. The little group had taken a ride around the island, and Hiccup and Astrid had received some much needed alone time. Even thinking about the things the pair had done was enough to make the redhead blush and fill his head with, shall we say, _amorous_ thoughts. No, they hadn't gone all the way, they hadn't even come close to it. Nonetheless, it was an amazing night, one that made Hiccup blissfully happy to have Astrid as his girlfriend.

The Viking boy awoke to a cloudy day, a day that was rather common in the village of Berk. The sun was hidden behind thick, gray clouds, and there was a nip in the air. Soon enough it would start snowing, and Hiccup would have to worry about keeping the house warm for both Olyvia and himself. That meant going out to collect more firewood. Perhaps he could get Gobber to help him with that.

Today was one of the rare days where no dragon training classes were scheduled, so Hiccup decided to spend the day in the forge, catching up on the projects that were quickly multiplying. He didn't have to worry about Olyvia being bored because she would be spending the day with Tilly at her house. In fact, the six-year-old would be coming by with Snotlout any minute to pick Olyvia up. This meant that Hiccup would be required to speak with the boy again, something he hadn't really done since the incident between them. It was no secret that this would be a little awkward.

In no time, Snotlout had arrived with Tilly perched atop his shoulders. She was gripping the horns of her brother's helmet and moving it from side to side, pretending that she was steering a ferocious dragon towards its next kill. And right now, Hiccup was feeling a lot like the primary target.

Snotlout, however, seemed unfazed by Tilly's antics, and continued walking forward as if she weren't there.

"Hey, Snotlout, Tilly." Hiccup gave a polite smile towards both of his cousins.

"Morning." Snotlout nodded in greeting. "Uh, I'm supposed to get Olyvia?"

"Right." Hiccup turned around to call the child, who came running once she heard her name.

"Hiya, cousin!" Tilly shrieked, leaping off Snotlout's shoulders and grabbing Olyvia in a tight hug. The tiny girl soon found herself lifted into the air by her enthusiastic relative, both laughing as she did so.

As the girls began chattering away and catching up with each other, Hiccup turned towards Snotlout.

"So," he began. "How have things been going lately?"

"Eh, just the usual." Snotlout shrugged. "Training Inferno and stuff. You?"

"Pretty much the same."

"That's good then."

"Yeah." Hiccup shifted awkwardly between his real and false foot, ignoring the gap in the conversation. After a moment, Snotlout spoke.

"How's this doing?" He pointed to Hiccup's torso, the spot where the rogue dragon had attacked him. The bandages beneath his shirt had left a small protrusion.

"Oh, it's a lot better." said Hiccup. "Thanks for asking."

"Don't mention it."

"Hurry _up_, Snothead!" Tilly hollered from nearby. "I wanna show Olyvia my favorite ax for Thor's sake!"

"All _right_ already!" Snotlout said irritably. He glanced towards Hiccup. "Guess I'd better get going now. See you around, Hiccup."

"Bye, teacher-cousin!" Tilly waved her hand.

"Bye, Hiccup." Olyvia hugged the redhead briefly around his waist, carefully avoiding the injured spot.

"See you later!" called the Viking boy. "Have fun!"

Soon enough, the others had disappeared, leaving Hiccup on his own with only a sleeping Toothless for company. As he began to work on a new shield for his uncle, Spitelout, his mind began to wander. What would Olyvia be doing with Tilly? Would she have fun? Would she be safe? Tilly was family and Hiccup cared for her like such, but even he knew it was unwise to leave her too long to her own devices. It was then that Hiccup realized how much he sounded – and felt – like a parent. The idea shocked him a little, and he almost burned his tunic on the hot coals of the forge. Was this his father's way of teaching him responsibility? If so, then he must have picked a thing or two up from Gobber, as far as leaving him to fend for himself.

Hiccup gave a soft sigh, shining the metal until it sparkled like new. Maybe Stoick's thinking was that if his son could provide for the needs of a small child, then he could easily provide for the needs of an entire village. Granted, Hiccup would have preferred to know his father's plan beforehand, but he recognized the logic behind it. And Olyvia seemed happy enough, so perhaps Hiccup was doing the right thing after all.

Picking up the shield, Hiccup placed it aside as a finished project. _There._ he thought. _One down, a hundred more to go._

He worked steadily for the rest of the day, with occasional interruptions by Toothless that he found rather endearing. From kind nuzzles to sweet smiles, it was the dragon that kept Hiccup from going truly insane. Once dusk began to fall, the Viking ended his work and lounged outside with Toothless. Leaning back against the friendly beast, he let Toothless wrap a protective wing around him and relaxed.

He soon found the Night Fury's head resting in his lap, and smiled as he scratched his best friend behind the ears. Astrid was wonderful, as was Olyvia, but nothing compared to the bond he shared with Toothless. The dragon had been the first being that Hiccup truly connected with, and this friendship had paved the way for his future relationships.

All too soon, Hiccup had to leave for dinner at the mead hall, and Toothless had to hunt for his supper. The two parted ways temporarily, and Hiccup noticed for the first time that day how hungry he was. He had been so wrapped up in his work that he hadn't even stopped for lunch.

He took a seat in his usual spot between Astrid and Olyvia, both eager to talk with their favorite person about their day. Being polite, Astrid allowed Olyvia to go first.

"I had the best day ever!" Olyvia smiled brightly. "Tilly and I played hide and seek in her house, and her mum made us lunch. And then we took Ginger to the stream and caught some frogs. Ginger thought they were fish and kept trying to eat them!" She giggled at the final part, causing Hiccup to grin.

After she had finished talking, Hiccup was able to speak with his girlfriend. Apparently, Astrid had spent her day with Ruffnut at the same stream, fishing and talking together.

"That sounds fun." Hiccup smiled. "What did you two talk about?"

Astrid didn't answer, but merely glanced down at her lap, pretending she hadn't heard the question. Judging by the blush on her face and how out of character her response was, Hiccup concluded that the conversation probably wasn't suitable for all ages.

Before he could respond, however, a large clap of thunder echoed throughout the hall, signaling the terrible storm raging outside. A couple of the children let out shrieks, Olyvia among them. Placing her hands over her ears, she shut her eyes tightly and buried her face in Hiccup's arm.

"Hey," the Viking boy said gently. "Don't be scared. It'll pass soon enough."

Olyvia didn't respond, but instead glanced up at Hiccup with fearful blue eyes. Hiccup wrapped an arm around her shoulders as a comforting gesture, and she burrowed into the space between his shirt and his fur vest. Another crash of thunder soon followed, but this one was accompanied by a horrible splintering noise.

"What was that?" Astrid asked.

"I don't know," replied Hiccup. "But it didn't sound good. Maybe we should go check to see if everything is ok."

"I like that idea." said Ruffnut, dragging her brother out of his seat. "It was getting boring here anyways."

Within seconds, all the Viking teenagers headed out into the rain to investigate the noise, leaving the children with Gobber. Hiccup had felt a little guilty about leaving Olyvia when she was so scared, but he assured her that she would be more than safe with Gobber around. Once outside, Fishlegs was the first to speak up.

"Does anyone see anything?"

"Besides Tuff's butt, no." Ruffnut responded, earning a glare from Tuffnut.

"It's not like yours is any smaller." he snapped.

"Oh yeah?" Ruffnut narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah!"

"Cut it out, you guys." came Astrid's voice. "Now's not the time. We have to find out where that noise came from."

The thunder boomed, and lightning lit up the night sky, illuminating the small group for a moment. Squinting his eyes, Hiccup scanned through the darkness for signs of trouble, but to no avail.

"I see something!" Snotlout cried suddenly. "Down on the beach!"

Following his gaze, Hiccup could barely make out a jagged form pushed up against the rocks, but another flash of lightning revealed what it was.

"A boat!" hollered Astrid. "There's a boat down there!"

Sure enough, she was right. A small boat, not nearly as big as a Viking ship but larger than a rowboat, was wedged up against the stones. Hiccup couldn't see it very well due to the rain, but he knew that it was heavily damaged because of the way it was strewn against the uneven rocks.

"We need to search for survivors!" said Hiccup. "There's bound to be some!"

Everyone agreed to this sentiment, and rushed down to the shoreline to get a better look. Some of the other Vikings had come down from the mead hall to see what the commotion was about, and upon seeing the shipwreck, they immediately wanted to help. Snotlout and Fishlegs went into the water to look for survivors, joined by some of the men, while Hiccup remained on shore to oversee the operation. If not for the risk of rusting his prosthetic foot, he would have gone into the water as well.

"We found someone!"

Fishlegs' voice broke through the storm with the information. Soon after, Snotlout was seen making his way back to shore, carrying a limp body in his arms. Upon closer inspection, Hiccup came to a shocking revelation.

It was the girl from his dream.

* * *

Another cliffhanger, you say? How can you be so cruel?! The answer is this: The next chapter will not be far off, and this time you won't have such a bad wait. I can pretty much guarantee this :) I have it written and everything! Dun dun duuuun! If you like this, please leave a review. I enjoy hearing your feedback :D

By the way, Olyvia now has her own blog on Tumblr! Her url is olyviahaddock, with the .com afterwards. Go check it out, she would love to hear from you ;)

Wishing you many good days during school,

~Pandas


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Illeana and Jonah

Yes, I know. I'm a horrible updater. I really am. I've come to accept this now, so please don't hate me.

Looking back over this chapter, it isn't one of my favorites. But I think I've done about everything I can to it, so I will give it to you right now. I hope you all had wonderful holiday seasons and got everything you wanted :)

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD. This should be glaringly obvious by now.

* * *

After the girl had been carried into the mead hall and her freezing body wrapped in blankets, Hiccup was able to take a closer look at her appearance. There was no doubt in his mind that this girl was the same one from his dream. Of course, she didn't have wings, normal humans didn't. Yet, there was still the same thick, raven hair nestled in two dripping braids. A black bodice, laced up at the front, covered a burgundy red tunic extending to just above her knees. Over the tunic, she had black netting, similar to the kind used to catch fish. It didn't extend beyond the bottom of her bodice, but the same material covered her forearms and acted as gloves. The sleeves of her tunic were short, but long enough to cover her shoulders. Black leggings covered her legs, and on her feet were a pair of solid leather boots.

_He knew her._

She had been in his dreams lately, but upon seeing her face, Hiccup knew that he and this girl had crossed paths at some point. He could not remember the how or the why, but there was something decidedly familiar about her. The question was, what?

The village healer, a small elderly woman with long silvery hair, broke through the small crowd to examine the girl. Placing a hand on her forehead, the healer leaned down and placed an ear to the girl's chest. After a moment, she then went to her lips to check for breathing. Pulling back, the aged woman pressed her palms gently upon the girl's stomach and turned her head to the right. Several compressions later, the girl began coughing and water surged forth from her mouth.

Her eyes blinked open, and it was then that she saw the group gathered around her, with the Viking teenagers located at the front. Among them, Hiccup spoke first.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

The girl groaned slightly as she sat up, bringing a hand to the side of her head and grimacing in pain. "Wh-Where am I?" she questioned. "What's going on?"

"You're in Berk." Hiccup responded gently. "Your boat crashed and you must have been thrown out. We found you in the water."

"There-There was someone with me!" she cried suddenly. "A little boy! Did you find a little boy?"

Hiccup hadn't seen any children around during the girl's rescue, but he didn't want to upset her by telling her so. Thankfully, Gobber spoke up so the redhead didn't have to.

"They just brought another person in from the wreck." said the older blacksmith. "I don' know if he's the one yer lookin' for, but-"

"Where is he?!" The girl's eyes widened with panic, and she sprung unsteadily to her feet. "Is he okay?!"

"Calm down." Gobber placed a hand on her shoulder. "He's fine. Our healer is looking after him as we speak."

"Thank you." The girl breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down. "And thank you for saving me as well. I don't know what would have happened if…" She trailed off and didn't finish the sentence, instead looking down into her lap.

"Oh no, don't worry about it." Hiccup said to her. "You're going to be just fine, uh…?"

"Illeana." The girl finished. "My name is Illeana. And the little boy is my brother, Jonah."

"Wait, he's your brother?" said Astrid. "No wonder you were so worried." Having a younger brother of her own, Astrid could easily understand the feeling, however annoying Rowan might have been.

Illeana nodded and glanced around at her surroundings. Once the crowd had seen that the survivor was alive, they had slowly subsided back to whatever they had been doing before the commotion. The only ones left now were the Viking teenagers, Gobber, Tilly, and Olyvia. A small cough echoed nearby, and Hiccup turned around to see the little boy that must have been Jonah sitting up on a table.

Unlike the dark-haired Illeana, Jonah's hair was a stark blonde, and fell in shaggy wisps around his face. His eyes were a bright shade of green, as was his short-sleeved tunic, but his leggings were darker. Attached to the leather belt around his waist was a small dagger, just big enough to defend himself with should anything go wrong. A small fur vest sat on the boy's torso, and on his feet were a pair of brown leather boots.

"Jonah!" cried Illeana, hopping up and rushing over to the small child. She ignored the pounding feeling in her head, focused only on the boy's well being. "Are you okay, little guy?"

"My head hurts." groaned Jonah. "Where are we, Illie?"

"A place called Berk, I think." replied Illeana. "Our boat crashed, and these kind people saved our lives. If not for them, we would have drowned."

Jonah's eyes widened a little as he rubbed them, taking in his new surroundings. Upon seeing Hiccup and his friends, he asked, "Who are they?"

Illeana then realized with great embarrassment that she had never bothered to ask for the names of those whom had saved her and Jonah's lives. Her cheeks turned as red as her tunic as she stammered out an apology, but thankfully, Hiccup didn't mind introducing himself and his friends.

"Well," said Illeana. "We've bothered you all enough now, so we'll just go get our things and be on our way. Thank you again, really!"

She took hold of Jonah's hand and began walking towards the door, but the pair soon found their path blocked by none other than the Viking known as Snotlout. Apparently, this guy was the one that had pulled Illeana out of the water.

"You're crazy if you think you can go out there tonight." He said, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "That storm is still going strong, and between you and me, I _really _don't want to have to save your life again."

"Unfortunately, he's right." said Astrid. "You should definitely wait until morning before you go out and assess the damage."

"But I-!" Illeana opened her mouth to protest, but Hiccup cut her off.

"Trust me, you won't impose on anyone if you stay overnight." He assured her. "I'll clear out some space in my house, and you and Jonah can camp out there for the night. You'll be fine."

He smiled sympathetically at the both of them, and Illeana realized that it would be rude to refuse his hospitality. So, she decided, she really ought to accept. And to tell the truth, Illeana really didn't want to go out in the pouring rain.

"All right then." she replied. "That would be good. Thank you so much for your kindness."

"Eh, it's no trouble." Hiccup smiled and shrugged it off, since it really wasn't a problem. Hiccup was, or would someday be, the chief of Berk, so hospitality was something he needed to be skilled at. Besides, even if he wasn't chief, he would have taken the girl and her brother in anyways. That was how Vikings worked. They cared for each other and their fellow man in their own rough and tumble way.

"Before anyone goes anywhere, I'd like you to have these." The village elder spoke up and handed some herbs to Illeana and Jonah.

"What's this for?" asked the small boy.

"They're to swallow." explained the elderly woman. "Got to expel the rest of that sea water before it's too late, now don't we?"

_By Thor. _Illeana turned pale and shared a quick glance with Jonah. This was going to be a long night…

XXXXX

While the two travelers emptied their stomachs of the sea water, Tilly and Olyvia lingered back, far away from the vomit. Even as she walked back though, Olyvia had a hard time taking her gaze off of Jonah. But apparently, Tilly had something really important to tell her friend, and she wanted to get it off her chest before she forgot.

"I can't believe it!" cried Tilly. "First you get here, and now these two show up!"

"Yeah," responded Olyvia. "And really close to each other too!"

"It has to be destiny." Tilly nodded fervently.

Olyvia shrugged, a little unsure of the concept. A long time ago, her mother had told her that destiny was when something was meant to happen, often against all odds. Were the two travelers _supposed _to be on Berk? Had the gods planned it that way? Mama used to say that the world works in mysterious ways, so maybe that's what it was.

"The kid looks like he's our age." Tilly continued. "I bet that means he's gonna be in class with us."

"That would be great!" Olyvia grinned at both the prospect of having Jonah in her class, and not having to be the new kid anymore.

"Wouldn't it?" said Tilly. "Maybe he'll be our friend, and then you two can go out on a romantic date." She snickered.

Olyvia's jaw dropped and her face flushed pink. "Tilly!"

"What?" The six-year-old laughed. "You'd enjoy being with him."

"Just like _you_ would enjoy a date with Astrid's brother?"

Tilly shut her mouth instantly at the mention of the older boy. At the moment, Olyvia was the only one who knew about her secret crush on Rowan, Astrid's nine-year-old brother. That was the reason she didn't want her brother to marry Astrid, since it would mean she couldn't marry Rowan. But if Tilly could tease Olyvia about romance, there was no way she couldn't do the same.

"You got me there, kid." Tilly slumped in defeat. "You really do."

Olyvia giggled and hugged her cousin turned friend. Perhaps Tilly was right, and Jonah would befriend them once he and his sister settled in. Perhaps Olyvia would marry him someday. At this point, only time would tell.

* * *

Before I get hate mail about it, ILLEANA WAS NOT BASED OFF OF HEATHER. I came up with her character LONG before that episode of Riders of Berk aired. Check the dates on this story and compare them with when the episode aired, and you will have your proof. Are there similarities? Yes, there are. And I plan to address those in future chapters now that I know Heather exists. It's kind of an interesting idea, really.

Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter. I'm not really sure what to think about it, but like I said, it's not one of my favorites. I hope my next one will be better.

Reviews are much appreciated, if by some chance you are still sticking with this story. If so, thank you so much!

Love,

~Pandas a.k.a. Liz


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Second Nature

Hello everyone, this is me trying to keep a somewhat regular schedule in updating this story. However, if I go out and say my schedule, then I probably won't keep to it because I'm an awful procrastinator. Nonetheless, I stayed up late to type this out so it would be ready for viewing. Here's hoping you like it! :)

Disclaimer: Plot twist, I actually do own HTTYD. JUST KIDDING! XD If I owned it I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. This would all be canon.

* * *

"That was terrible."

Illeana grimaced when she heard Jonah's pained little voice. Both their stomachs were still sore after expelling the rest of the sea water, but at least they were alive.

"My tummy hurts." Jonah whined.

"I know," said Illeana sympathetically. "But it will pass soon, don't you worry."

The two travelers were currently camped out in the sitting room of Hiccup's house, where he had set up some bedding for them in front of the fireplace. He and the little girl that lived here were asleep upstairs, but he told Illeana and Jonah to call if they needed anything. Such was a kind gesture on his part, really, considering they had only just met.

"Illie?"

Jonah interrupted the girl's thought process, and she turned to face him. "What is it, hon?"

"How long are we gonna stay here?"

Sighing softly, Illeana leaned over and ruffled the blonde boy's hair. "To tell the truth," she answered. "I have no idea."

"Can we stay forever?" Jonah asked innocently, blinking up at his sister.

"Maybe." responded Illeana with a frown. "I won't make any promises though. Why do you ask?"

"I dunno." Jonah averted his eyes to the wooden floor. "It looks nice here, I guess."

"Well, we'll see." Illeana quickly changed the subject. "You should go to sleep now. There's lots to do for tomorrow."

"Okay." Jonah snuggled deep into his blanket. "Goodnight, Illie."

"Goodnight, Jonah."

Within minutes, the small boy had fallen asleep with his thumb in his mouth, leaving Illeana more time to think. She and Jonah had been moving around for so long, place to place, village to village, and never tried to make friends. What was the use? They would be gone before long anyways.

But this time, it looked like they would be staying longer than was expected. Illeana hoped not, for staying anywhere for too long was a dangerous thing indeed…

* * *

Meanwhile, Hiccup was wrapped up in his own thoughts and far from resting peacefully. From his position on the floor, he was wide awake and wondering. Who was this girl, really? Why was she here? Did those dreams that he had… actually _mean_ something?

Illeana. That's what she said her name was. He then again recalled the stories of the sorcerers, and wondered to himself again. Was Illeana…?

_No. _he shook his head. _That isn't possible._ People like that don't exist, they were only stories told by his mother to scare Hiccup into behaving.

Right?

Hiccup groaned softly and rubbed his temples. The timing in all this was just too weird. First the dream, then the attack, and now this girl? The pieces didn't fit. Maybe they were connected, maybe they weren't. There was no telling for certain.

Until he found out, however, he decided to at least be friendly towards Illeana and not worry himself. These dreams were only that, dreams. Nothing to be afraid of.

Feeling one of the rough floorboards poke his shoulder, Hiccup winced. Even through the two quilts that he had been sleeping on, he was still finding splinters all over his body. He would finish cleaning out that spare room, and finish it _fast._

* * *

The next morning, Hiccup was the first to rise before everyone else, something he found himself doing a lot lately. He had always been a morning person, even when he was little, but now it was a vital part of his life. So much to do, so little time to do it.

He passed the sleeping travelers on the floor, eyes closed in slumber, and opted not to disturb them. After everything that happened the day before, Hiccup figured they needed some rest. His gaze drifted towards the girl again. He knew she was from someplace else besides his dreams, but he couldn't for the life of him remember where.

Humming to himself, Hiccup prepared breakfast for himself and Olyvia, and made extra for his houseguests in case they wanted any. A few minutes later, the five-year-old girl came downstairs, rubbing the sleep from her light blue eyes.

"Well, good morning, sleepyhead." Hiccup teased his cousin with a smile. "You hungry?"

Olyvia nodded, and Hiccup set a plate for her at the table. Taking a seat next to her, the pair ate in comfortable silence. All of a sudden, there came a knock from outside the door.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. Strange, people didn't usually knock this early. If someone wanted a weapon made, they would come to the forge and request it there. Visitors at the Haddock household were little in number.

"I'll get it!" volunteered Olyvia. Hopping down from the table, she ran over to the door and opened it up. Standing in front of the girl were the Thorston twins, slouching and yawning in the early hour.

"Can I help you?" asked Olyvia.

"Yeah." said Tuffnut. "We're looking for your cousin. Let us in."

Brushing past her, Tuffnut wandered into the house, stopping to stare at Illeana and Jonah asleep on the floor. He cocked his head in confusion. "They're still here?"

Olyvia bobbed her head to say yes.

"And they're still asleep?"

"Um," the little girl shrugged her shoulders. "I guess so."

Tuffnut grunted and nudged Illeana with his foot. She stirred slightly, but didn't wake up.

"Yep." said Tuffnut. "Definitely asleep."

"Not for long." snickered Ruffnut. "S'cuse me, ankle biter." She said, moving Olyvia out of the way. Going over next to her brother, she towered over the sleeping travelers.

"WAKEY WAKEY, MISSY! THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE!"

Illeana shrieked and jumped out of bed, nearly slamming her head into that of Ruffnut's. Her hair, messy from sleeping on it all night, stuck out at odd angles from her head. She spun around to look for the fire, only to find that there was none.

Rubbing the side of her head, she glared up at Ruffnut. "What did you do that for?"

"Traditional Viking wakeup call!" boomed Tuffnut with a grin. "Welcome to Berk, sweetheart!"

"Disturbing my houseguests already?" Hiccup looked up from clearing dishes and walked over towards the commotion. "Isn't it a little early for that?"

Tuffnut laughed. "No."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, having long been used to the twins and their antics. "Well, now that you two are up, you might as well have some breakfast."

"Don't mind if we do!" Ruffnut grinned and began dragging her brother over towards the dining table.

"I meant Illeana and Jonah!" Hiccup said in an exasperated tone. Really, it was too early to be dealing with all this.

The twins grumbled a little and plopped themselves down on whatever pieces of furniture they could find. Meanwhile, Illeana was gently nudging Jonah, who was trying to go back to sleep. She straightened the blankets she had slept on, and made her way over towards the dining area. As she and Jonah ate their breakfast, Hiccup conversed with the twins.

"So," said Tuffnut. "What's the deal with dragon training? Are we still having it or what?"

"Of course we are." replied Hiccup. "This afternoon, as always. Why wouldn't we?"

"Well, we thought that since they're here," Ruffnut pointed towards Illeana and Jonah. "Tuff and I might get a day off."

"No such luck." Hiccup smiled and shook his head. "If they want to come, they're more than welcome to."

"I'm cool with that." Tuffnut grinned. "What do you know about the girl? Like, is she single or what?"

"What do you care?" asked his sister.

"I care a lot!" responded Tuffnut.

"What for?"

"She's hot!"

"She'll never go for you."

"How do you know?"

"Because _nobody_ goes for you."

"That's not true!"

"It is so!"

As the twins bantered back and forth, Olyvia wandered over to where Illeana and Jonah were seated. Keeping her eyes down, Olyvia rested her arms on the side of the table. Looking up from his plate, Jonah noticed her presence.

"Um, hi." he began. "Who are you?"

Looking up at Jonah, a light flush spread across Olyvia's face. "I'm Olyvia." she answered shyly. "Who are you?"

"I'm Jonah." responded the little boy. "Is this your house?"

"Sort of." said Olyvia. "I live here with my cousin, Hiccup."

"He's your cousin?" Jonah asked.

"Uh huh."

"Cool."

He smiled in a friendly manner towards Olyvia, and she became a little less shy. Soon enough, the two had begun an entirely new conversation, and Jonah realized he had made his first friend on Berk.

* * *

Later on, Jonah accompanied Illeana down to the shoreline to assess the damage to their boat. Taking off her boots, the older girl tread barefoot into the water and stared at the structure. The boat was shoved up against some rocks, with several long gashes down the side, while the mast had snapped completely in two.

Illeana swore under her breath. This couldn't possibly get any worse. The damage would take weeks to repair, maybe even months. It was precious time that Illeana simply didn't have. In short, she and Jonah were stuck here.

While Illeana muttered angrily to herself, Jonah was fishing some of their supplies out of the water. In his search, he found some books, a map, and a small pouch of coins. Some had been lost during the storm, but there was plenty enough to buy food, and that was the important thing. Taking a seat on a nearby rock, he set the objects out to dry.

"Hey, buddy." Illeana said, taking a seat next to the little boy.

"Hi, Illie." Jonah greeted. "Are you okay?"

Illeana sighed, wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulders and hugging him tightly. "Jonah," she began carefully. "Our boat got really messed up because of that storm, so we have to stay here until I can get it fixed."

"So," Jonah furrowed his eyebrows. "We can't leave?"

Illeana shook her head, her braids swishing back and forth across her shoulders.

"Oh." Jonah said. "Well, that's fine. I like it here."

Illeana didn't reply. She was afraid that would happen, but it wasn't her main concern right now. Instead, she was worried about where they would stay and how they would make money. They couldn't live off their savings forever, and Illeana didn't want to take advantage of Hiccup's hospitality. If she couldn't find some type of work to do here, she didn't know what they would do. It was all so overwhelming that she almost started to cry, but she stopped herself. She and Jonah had been in worse scrapes than this, and they got through just fine. They would get through this too.

Pulling Jonah towards her, Illeana held him tightly in her arms. No matter what they decided, she knew she had to protect the little boy at all costs. Her number one goal was to make sure Jonah was safe and healthy.

It was second nature.

* * *

So then, it looks like Illeana and Jonah are going to be stuck here for quite a while. What will happen to them? Will Illeana fix her boat? Will Tuffnut ever get that date? Will I ever stop asking these questions? Why am I asking you people anyways?

Haha, in any case, I hope everyone is doing well and reviews are much appreciated!

Love,

~Pandas


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